A Marriage of Convenience
by DA2003
Summary: With both the Saiyan Empire and the Moon Kingdom facing bloody wars, the Moon Kingdom believes its only hope is with an Alliance bound by marriage. The two who are to be wed? The Princess of the Moon Kingdom and the son of the Ascended Saiyan... R&R!
1. A Diplomatic Crisis

A Marriage of Convenience

Diplomacy, Queen Serenity reflected, was one of the most fickle things in the galaxy. During the last ten years, Earth, the traditional Ally of the Moon Kingdom had grown distrustful and jealous of their neighbours. Powers that were hostile to the Moon Kingdom were using their dark powers to strike at their Allies and bring down their enemies, manipulating their basic emotions and thoughts. Queen Serenity sighed as she sat upon her throne, thinking of this dilemma. With the rise of the Dark Kingdom in the Southern Quadrant of the Galaxy, the Moon couldn't afford to be alone now.

This was the reason behind this meeting really. Queen Serenity had invited an old (damn near ancient) friend to consult over the present situation and hopefully advise her about what to do. The Throne Room which the Queen sat in was a huge, brilliantly decorated room full of richness and splendour. The doors at the end stood as tall as a house and were made of thick pure silver inscribed with the names of every Monarch to rule over the Moon Kingdom. Queen Serenity's Throne was also silver in colour, gilded and decorated with the pomp becoming to a Queen. Between the Throne and doors, the floor bare, showing the gleaming stone that made up the room itself a scarlet red carpet from the doors directly to the Throne.

As Queen Serenity reflected upon her troubles, the huge doors at the end of the Throne Room opened wide and a page called out through the now open space "Kami of Namek!" Queen Serenity looked up instantly and smiled as she saw the familiar green figure walking through the doorway complete with his walking stick and robe. The doors shut behind him; Queen Serenity wanted this to be a private interview "Your Majesty." Kami said smiling after the doors closed "It does me good to see you so well."

Queen Serenity rose from her throne and rushed to meet Kami along the path "As it does me my good friend." She clasped his free hands with hers and took Kami over to the Throne "Come, you must tell me what you've been up to since I last saw." She said in a way which reminded Kami of the Queen's young daughter.

"While I would love to talk about old times, I'm afraid I'm more curious about why you wanted me here so urgently." Kami said firmly but not unkindly.

Pausing for a moment before giving a small, sad smile Serenity answered "Always one for business first aren't you Kami?" She sighed sadly before going back to her Throne and sitting on it "I take it you've heard about the latest problems with Earth?"

Nodding slowly Kami breathed out at the response, the latest collapse of any talks between Earth and the Moon Kingdom had soon become widely known "There's some dark influence there if you want my opinion. The Dark Kingdom has powerful magic able to serve their own evil ends. My advice is to seek out and destroy these sorcerers before anymore damage is done."

Queen Serenity gave a small laugh that lacked any sort of humour "You think I haven't tried? Some of my greatest warriors have perished trying to flush out the sorcerers who make the Dark Kingdom so powerful." Her face darkened "There is one named Babidi who is the greatest and most evil of them. I believe he may be the one who is behind the hatred felt by those of Earth against us."

A sign of revulsion crossed Kami's face at hearing the name of the sorcerer "I have heard of Babidi also and I'm not surprised that he would be behind the destroying of the friendship between Earth and the Moon. His power is such that it is said he can manipulate even the strongest of wills if they have darkness in their hearts."

The news was nothing surprising to Queen Serenity "My Mages and I came to the same conclusion. We had always thought the envy Earth had felt for the Moon's accomplishments was nothing to worry about." A bitter smile crossed the Queen's face "I wish it was otherwise. Together we may have crushed the Dark Kingdom and its evil influence. But their power grows daily and without Earth, our task has become much more difficult."

Considering the problem, Kami tapped his staff idly before a solution came to mind "There... May be another way to gain strength over the Dark Kingdom. Although I fear you may not agree to it."

Queen Serenity sighed "At this point, I'm willing to try anything. We cannot tackle the Dark Kingdom alone, not without losing too many lives."

"Then Ally with the Saiyans." Kami said immediately "The sooner the better."

The look on revulsion and disgust on Queen Serenity's face was almost comical, if not the situation was so dire "WHAT??!" She screamed, for once forgetting all about her dignity.

Keeping calm, Kami spoke in a soothing voice to bring Serenity's mind away from the rage he knew she would be feeling "Think about it, the Saiyans are the most powerful race in the galaxy, they loath the Dark Kingdom and with their war against the Freezing Empire, they too would be glad of any Allies they can get."

Managing to put her face back to its normal composed countenance, Serenity took a deep breath "You forget one thing Kami." She said with a bitter tone "We were allied to the Saiyans once before, and they betrayed us and the Central Quadrant was almost lost as a result."

Kami nodded, acknowledging this fact "That was five centuries ago. Surely you don't think that one mistake can define an entire race?"

Queen Serenity opened her mouth to answer but closed it and looked thoughtful for a moment "I suppose not… But regardless of that, the enmity between the Saiyan Empire and Moon Kingdom is too deep for any amends to be made." Serenity allowed a small smirk "Unless you know of some miracle to perform that would drop the hatred between our peoples."

"There is no miracle that I can think of but you can make a gesture that will show the Saiyans you are in fact serious about an alliance." Queen Serenity nodded at Kami, wanting him to continue "The Saiyan Empire at this time has been at war with the Freezing Empire for ten years now and the tide has only just started to turn in their favour. If you offer them a marriage…"

Kami was stopped short by another screech from Queen Serenity "WHAT!!!!??" The old Namek flinched as his exceedingly good hearing suffered under the outburst "ARE YOU INSANE?! I'D NEVER MARRY…"

A bright sphere of energy quickly appeared in Kami's hand to grab the Queen's attention. It had the effect desired and Serenity stopped short in surprise as the sight of Kami summoning up the energy caught her by surprise "Your Majesty please." Kami said in a strained voice as he allowed the energy to dissipate, its job done "Forget all your prejudices about Saiyans and just listen to me."

Serenity took a deep breath and for the second time, regained her composure "I'm sorry about that Kami, but even the thought of marrying one of the Saiyan Royal Family…" Kami was forced to concede this point. The Vegeta ruling family only had one male left of marrying status, and he wasn't the most eligible male in the Galaxy.

"Our thoughts on Prince Vegeta notwithstanding I was considering another family of Saiyans who are of equal prestige. The family of the Ascended Saiyan…"

The title brought some memories back to Serenity's mind "I've heard of him. The one who killed Emperor Freeza is he not? But he's married to an Earth woman and has a son who is almost Serena's… age…" A horrible thought clutched onto Queen Serenity's brain and refused to let go. But it looked like Kami had been leading up to it all this while "No." She said, firmer than Gibraltar.

Kami didn't even bother to ask, knowing that Serenity had followed his thought pattern "Are you willing to sacrifice your people because of your hatred?"

The glare Serenity gave the old Namek would have struck him dead if possible "Am I willing to sacrifice my daughter because I feel threatened?"

Sighing sadly, Kami tried to reason with the Queen "Serenity." He said and the Queen took instant notice, Kami only ever said her name when he was deathly serious "As we speak, the Dark Kingdom grows in power and influence as it encroaches on the rightful territory of the Moon Kingdom. You cannot meet this threat by yourself and who can you possibly turn to? Earth has forsaken you, my own people have shut themselves off from the rest of the Galaxy, the Confederation of Planets is your Ally but their strength relies upon yours, the crimes of the Freezing Empire match those of the Dark Kingdom. The Moon Kingdom must Ally with the Saiyans in order to survive."

The reluctance in which Serenity accepted this truth was doubled by her refusal to admit that the Moon Kingdom needed the Saiyans, making give one outburst "I cannot hand over my daughter to those… those… savages!"

The insult finally stretched Kami's patience to breaking point and he practically barked "Serenity! Listen to yourself! Do not let hatred and prejudice blind you now of all times! I have met the Ascended Saiyan and he is a good, decent and honourable man! His son is equal to him and is by no means a savage!" The two looked at each other in a battle of wills that was interrupted by a furious pounding on the doors at the opposite end of the Throne Room.

A messenger appeared in the doorway as the doors opened, rushing through before stooping before the Throne and placing himself on one knee, he was clothed in the traditional Moon Military uniform "Your… Your Majesty!" He gasped, his face was red and flushed, he had obviously run a great deal in order to get here.

The tone almost made Serenity forget about her argument with Kami as she rose to her feet "What is it?" She asked, fearing the worst.

The messenger took a deep breath and got the message out in a single breath "We have received word from our forces in the Southern Quadrant. The Dark Kingdom attacked our battle fleet stationed there, almost wiping them out, only the _Crescent _escaped with most of its crew."

It took a long pause before the news sank in and Serenity collapsed onto her Throne "Summon my generals." She said weakly "Tell them I'll see them in the War Chamber in five minutes." The messenger nodded and left running, the doors closing behind him. Queen Serenity stayed on the Throne, her face unreadable. After several drawn out moments she muttered "Our entire Southern Fleet... Destroyed..." She said in a hollow voice. Never before had Kami seen the Queen look so helpless.

Putting a comforting hand upon her shoulder, Kami said "This highlights my point Serenity. Send word to the Saiyans immediately and offer them the Alliance. I'm sure Serena will be able to stay on the Moon but the son of Kakarott will have to come here as a token of good faith."

For a long moment, Queen Serenity sat on her Throne, trying to think of what to do. At last she rose from her throne and nodded at Kami "It shall be done." Queen Serenity then started to walk determinedly down the path from her Throne to the doors "For the first time in five centuries, a Saiyan shall walk upon the Moon."

XxX

The Throne Room of Emperor Vegeta was a clear contrast to Queen Serenity's grand spaces. The Throne was the same sort of design of a large armchair only made out of iron and thin. The design of the Throne Room itself was small and Spartan with only a table in the middle which held a map of the Galaxy covered with notes detailing each conflict and power stuck on with pins. Currently, Emperor Vegeta was standing over the map, looking at it with a fierce scowl of concentration upon his face.

Emperor Vegeta looked pretty much like his more headstrong son only with a few grey hairs and a thick beard that almost obscured his mouth. Despite the looks, the Emperor was a much more diplomatic person than his son. He knew when to push his advantage and he knew when to retreat. It was this characteristic in particular which had made him a formidable force in Universal politics as well as on the battlefield and despite the ever waging war with the Freezing Empire; the Saiyans were held with some regard by the rest of the Galaxy.

"_Except one in power in particular…" _The Emperor thought, considering how for the last five hundred years, the Moon Kingdom had been sworn opponents of the Saiyans _"We did what we needed to in order to survive and they call it betrayal." _The Emperor thought sadly, he was not proud of what the Saiyans did all those years ago but he wasn't prepared to admit that they had been entirely wrong in their decision…

The double doors (Made of thick wood from the Saiyan's home planet) at the end of the Throne Room swung open and two of the strongest Saiyans in the Universe walked through. They were the father and son duo Bardock and Kakarott, the Ascended Saiyan and his father. Emperor Vegeta remained silent as both reached him and gave a salute, considering his two finest Generals silently.

After the traditional signs of fealty were made, it was Kakarott, ever curious regarding why he was away from battle who spoke first "You asked to see us your Majesty?"

"Yes Kakarott, I have news concerning our diplomatic relationship with the Moon Kingdom."

Bardock, his face lined from age and battle differing him from his son, nodded in understanding while his son looked blank. Inwardly, Emperor Vegeta cried for the sake of his people _"He probably got as far as concerning but I think 'diplomatic' pushed him too far." _Vegeta translated it "The Moon Kingdom wishes to be our Ally once more."

The news made Kakarott brighten instantly "Really? That's great news! Will they invite us to a big banquet?"

"Only if they want us to eat their entire food supply." Bardock sniggered, playing on the reputation of the Moon Kingdom of being small eaters. He turned serious and turned away from his son to the Emperor "But your Majesty, why did you summon us away from the battlefield? The forces of the Freezing Empire are rallying around Prince Coola; we need to be there in order to direct the attack."

"Because the Moon Kingdom has made an offer that's almost impossible to refuse." He leaned forward towards his two strongest Generals in his Throne as his eyes gleamed "The Moon Kingdom believes that we would have refused the Alliance because of the events of the Great War five hundred years ago. Personally, I would have been glad to accept the Alliance regardless of conditions but they have offered us a way into their inner circle of power."

Suddenly interrupting, Kakarott started to ask "Couldn't we just find this circle and borrow it for a…" He was cut off by a glare from the Emperor who wished (Not for the first time) that someone who was able to recognise a metaphor had become the Ascended Saiyan. Kakarott was his strongest warrior, the one who had personally killed Emperor Freeza in battle and a deeply honourable man. But by the Stars themselves, he was as dumb as a rock in some areas.

"That was a metaphor Kakarott." The Emperor said wearily "I meant that we are able to place one of our own amongst the ruling family of the Moon Kingdom." Just in case Kakarott still didn't get it, Vegeta quickly added "They have offered to seal our Alliance with a marriage pact."

Kakarott once again brightened but before he could say a word, Emperor Vegeta waved him into silence "The marriage proposal is between Princess Serena and your son, Gohan." The name was said with more than an element of distaste.

The reaction between the two Saiyans was quite equal, both men letting their jaw drop in surprise but rallied Kakarott was the first to rally "But Gohan's just a boy! He couldn't possibly get married!"

Emperor Vegeta shrugged "Age is immaterial; they're not expecting any children from the union quite yet, it is a way to guarantee that we will abide by the Alliance. Gohan needs to marry the Princess in order to cement our Alliance and try to gain some sway over the Central Quadrant."

A sudden flush of anger crossed Kakrott's face at the words "Your Majesty, I have served you and the Empire loyally for my entire life." He walked up to the Emperor and stared him right in the eyes "But I will not sacrifice my son's happiness for anything." And with that, he turned and walked out without saying another word.

Vegeta sighed in annoyance and turned to Bardock "Will he stand by what he says?"

Knowing his son well enough, Bardock shook his head "He pampers the boy whenever he can but I'll see to it he comes round to our point of view." Bardock paused and chuckled "It'll be his wife that'll be the difficult part."

Emperor Vegeta gave a small smile, he knew just as much as anyone who'd met Kakarott's wife that she was the difficult one out of the two. With that thought, Emperor Vegeta frowned "A human wife." He muttered "What he was thinking I have no idea."

Bardock said felt silent at those words, the Emperor merely expressing what he himself had thought for many years "She... She makes a loyal wife." Was all he could give as a response.

Emperor Vegeta found himself didn't even appear to consider the answer before his thoughts turned to Kakarott's child, his lips curling into a sneer "The boy however… He's weak and an embarrassment. Quite frankly, I was somewhat relieved when the Moon Kingdom requested him. Such a person has no right to be a Saiyan."

Bardock found himself nodding a slow assent at the words of the Emperor. Despite everything he could do, Gohan remained weak for a Saiyan, barely able to fight with anyone else at his age.A nasty little voice in Bardock's mind that had always stated what he truly felt said _"No matter how hard he tries, he's no Warrior and definitely no Saiyan." _

Emperor Vegeta turned to his general "Can you be certain that you can change Kakarott's mind?"

A smile was given in reply "It'll be tough but I think that the boy will be glad to go. He's never fit into our society and the Moon Kingdom may accept him." Bardock gave a sneer "His mother got him to study outside of the Five Stations. Wanted him to become a scientist on Earth rather than a true warrior."

"Oh by the Kai…" Emperor Vegeta muttered and shook his head "Go now Bardock. The sooner the boy goes to the Moon Kingdom, the better." When Bardock left the Throne Room, Emperor Vegeta allowed himself a small smile as he considered the implications of the marriage _"For the first time in five centuries, a Saiyan shall walk upon the Moon… Even if he is a half breed weakling."_

To be continued…

**Well here's the first chapter of my SM/DBZ fanfic. This won't be major G/S but it will have a few fluffy moments between the two. R&R! And for those reading through again and noticing a few changes, I'm currently rewriting certain parts of the story to tidy it up and make it easier to read while perhaps closing up a plot hole or two. Maybe this'll finally get me an entry on TV Tropes :p. Anyway, hope you enjoy the old with the new!**


	2. The Prince of the Ox Kingdom

A Marriage of Convenience

The infinite depths of the Galaxy were truly a sight to behold, epic, beyond the ability of mortals to comprehend and for Prince Gohan of the Ox Kingdom, unable to distract him from his sad thoughts. Looking through the reinforced glass that served as a window, Gohan sighed sadly as he reflected his lot. At the young age of eleven, he had been drafted into a diplomatic coup d'état by his family and was now travelling from his home World to the Moon Kingdom, a World Gohan had always been told was full of weaklings.

"_I should fit right in then." _Gohan thought bitterly. Though he had the power to level entire cities (Although such an effort would have killed him through exhaustion), Gohan was still thought to be extraordinarily weak by most of his Race. Many thought it was due to his Human bloodline while others thought that because his father was the Ascended Saiyan, the strength Gohan might have had, had been cancelled out somehow. Either way, with a power level below many of his age group Gohan was routinely bullied and shunned by many of Saiyan society because of both his blood and his lack of power.

Only with his family did Gohan find solace. His mother, though insisting he improve his mind rather than strength, was a good, kind hearted woman. His father was a good man with great strength and the brains of a rock (In most respects anyway). With Bardock however, Gohan found fear, his hand automatically trailing a line where a scar would have been if not for the miracles of medicine. But now Gohan was far away from them, his father and grandfather going back to the warfront while his mother stayed behind, having found out she was pregnant and the rigours of space travel were dangerous for an unborn child.

Despite the fact he missed his family terribly (Gohan especially regretted that he would be unable to be there when his younger sibling was born) he was actually looking forward to the Moon Kingdom in a way. He hoped that he'd actually be able to make friends there and not be judged because of what his bloodline was. The door to his quarters slid open and a gruff voice said "Get ready, we'll be touching down on the Moon in ten minutes." The door then slid shut again and Gohan was once more left on his own.

Gohan stood up from his chair and stretched his back. He was wearing the traditional Saiyan Armour, with a dark blue skin tight uniform underneath. Gohan then went over to the foot of his bed, where a trunk lay, opened it and took out a small circlet, gold in colour and at the part that went over the forehead, a small ruby was placed. It was the Ancient Imperial Crown of the Prince of the Ox Kingdom. Though the thing was battered and old, Gohan wore it proudly as it constantly reminded him that he should never be ashamed of what he was. A lesson learnt from grandfather Ox during one of his visits to Planet Vegeta.

Glancing at his reflection in the glass, Gohan nodded before opening the door to his room and exiting, hoping for a better future.

XxX

On the surface of the Moon, the grand Palace of the Royal Family stood next to the area where the Saiyan spacecraft was due to set down. The only member of the Royal Family who was left in the Palace was the fourteen year old Princess Serena who had been forbidden by her mother to attend the ceremony greeting her new fiancée. For the last three weeks, ever since she had been told of the arrangement, Serena had pleaded with her mother to cancel the marriage. She was heartbroken when she learned that she would be unable to pursue her love of Prince Darien of Earth.

Having cried herself to sleep three nights in a row, Serena finally pulled herself together with some help from her friend and confidant Luna who had shown her she needed to make the best of a bad situation. Serena was currently standing at the balcony of her bedroom, looking over the Palace grounds, her view of the landing ground blocked by a tower. Next to Serena sat her friend and the Royal Family's advisor, Luna, who (despite being a cat), was able to maintain an air of dignity as a contrast to Serena who was only just able to keep herself from screaming out loud.

Finally, Serena couldn't take the silence anymore and asked "How long till he comes now?"

Luna looked up to the skies and just about saw a twinkle in the depths of space "Not long to go." Luna said. When Serena gave a small sigh of despair in reply, Luna felt she had to add something else "Serena, please don't act like this. It is traditional for marriages to be arranged between Noble families and it does well to strengthen the bonds between the Powers of the Galaxy."

"But with the Saiyans?" Serena demanded bitterly "All I have ever heard my mother say about the Saiyans is that they're brutal, barbaric savages! And now she wants me to marry one?"

Luna had to confess, Serenity raised a valid point. To most in the Moon Kingdom, Saiyans were believed to be brutal savages, their betrayal in the Galactic War. Luna had herself been reluctant to allow the marriage go on but that was due to her own loyalty to Serena. She didn't share the prejudice against Saiyans most others on the Moon did, her own thoughts on their actions not blinded with the outrage of the betrayal from all those years ago "Your mother is doing her duty as Queen. She has your best interests at heart Serena, but this is greater than her. The fate of the Moon Kingdom depends upon it."

Allowing her selfishness to override her common sense for a moment, Serena blurted out "I don't care about the Moon Kingdom! I want to be with Darien!"

An exasperated sigh escaped Luna's mouth before she scolded Serena "Honestly Serena, how can you hope to be a true Queen if you place yourself above your own Kingdom? You should hold yourself higher than that!"

Serena crossed her arms in response "What does it matter anyway? That Saiyan will probably take all the power when he becomes King anyway."

Rolling her eyes at the impudence, Luna snapped at the Princess "Serena, as I've told you before, you will retain the title and power while Gohan takes the title Royal Consort…"

"Gohan?" Serena interrupted "His name is Gohan? But that's a Human name!" There was a good degree of surprise in her voice.

"Of course." Luna said, equally surprised at Serena's ignorance "Didn't your mother tell you he was part Human?"

Serena shook her head "No, I just thought that he was a full blooded Saiyan…" Serena looked thoughtful for a moment. Why hadn't her mother told her about Gohan's heritage? She looked at Luna and asked "Which part of his family is Human?"

"I believe it is his mother. I have heard he is the grandson of the Ox King of Earth."

"The Ox King?" Serena muttered out loud, she had met the Ox King when he was on a state visit to the Moon Kingdom. Though he was loud and didn't appear very bright, Serena remembered that he was a humble, easy going and pleasant man. Perhaps Gohan might take after him… A sudden grin flashed across her face that made Luna nervous. A grin like that meant Serena had cooked up a plan which usually meant Luna would be on the wrong end of some mischief.

"Oh Luna," Serena called out in a sing song voice "Would you do me a favour?"

Before Luna could so much as protest, Serena had picked her up and held her at arm's length, a smile upon the face of the Princess. It was times like this that Luna _really _hated being a cat. Serena pulled Luna out of her thoughts by calling out "You're going to go spy on Gohan for me!"

Luna felt her mouth gape open in shock "Right, that's it," She growled "I'm going to tell the Queen that she should ban all sugar from the Moon Kingdom. It isn't just teeth that get rotted from it…"

Serena gave a glare at the cat "Don't be silly," She said harshly "I'll have you know that I want you to do it because mother tells me I'm not allowed to see Gohan until the Ball next week. I just want to know what he's like as a person. Can't you please do this for me Luna?" Serena added her best puppy dog eyes for good measure and that was enough to ensure Luna caved in.

"All right I'll do it!" Luna said angrily "But I better get something in return!"

"I'll make sure you get enough catnip to last the rest of the year." Serena said as she put Luna back on the ground "Now go to where he'll be living and report back to me tonight!"

Luna started to walk off the balcony into Serena's bedroom when she looked back (As far as a cat could actually do anyway) and called over to Serena "I think you should think of the good side of this, if Gohan is anything like his grandfather, then you've got yourself quite a catch." Luna then ran out of the room, leaving a blushing Serena by herself.

XxX

Queen Serenity, Kami and several members of the government of the Moon Kingdom were actually by the landing ground standing on a podium that held four flags at each corner, a white crescent on a black background, the standard of the Moon Kingdom. As everyone saw the Saiyan's ship descend, Kami leaned over to Queen Serenity and whispered in her ear "It strikes me as more than mere coincidence that your daughter should come down with illness the day Gohan is to arrive on the Moon."

Queen Serenity felt her eye twitch a little before answering "It is a mere act of fortune that is all."

"Tell me Serenity," Kami whispered so that only they could hear "What do you fear more, the fact Gohan may turn out to be a savage brute like you suspect? Or are you scared that all your prejudices and loathing of Saiyans turns out to be false?"

A low growl was heard, distracting Kami as an unwelcome voice butted in "Do not dare speak to our Queen in such a way Namek." Kami turned to glare at the speaker, none other than General Cosmos, a tall man with greying hair, blue eyes and a harsh expression etched permanently onto his face. Loyal to the Queen alone, it had brought him into conflict with her other advisors in the past, Kami included.

Before Serenity could stop the argument, the task was done for her as the Saiyan spaceship entered the immediate atmosphere and it kicked up the air, blowing it mightily and making it roar. Though the podium was well out of the winds being whipped up, the sound was still overpowering and prevented any conversation. The gigantic Orb that was the shape of the spaceship was black in colour with a white band going around the side in a circle. The band went across several sections of reinforced glass which served as the ship's windows and an oval that would open to reveal a door.

The oval opened now and slid into the ship with a metal platform extending and one end lowering onto the ground. Out of the ship walked a young Saiyan, Queen Serenity looked amazed to see that the Saiyan she had been dreading to meet was nothing more than a… small boy. He had the characteristics of a Saiyan like the tail that looked like that of a monkey and dark hair that shot upwards. But his playful, innocent smile and expression seemed to destroy any sense of threat.

Just behind Gohan, two other Saiyans emerged from the ship, these two were more like the typical Saiyan thought of by many. They were huge, towering masses of muscle, clad in traditional Saiyan armour and one had a mass of black hair that sprouted down to his shoulders while the other was bald except for a few lines of hair and a startlingly thin moustache that went above and down the sides of his mouth.

The two adult Saiyans followed just behind Gohan but they did little to hide their arrogant swaggers. The Saiyans held the Moon Kingdom with the same amount of contempt that the Moon Kingdom held for them. And as the Moon Kingdom had been the ones to request the Alliance, the Saiyans had seen it as a sign of the utmost weakness for abandoning their enmity.

When Gohan and the other two Saiyans reached the podium, it was only the young boy who bowed, the elder two merely stood to attention but with enough slouch to cause great offence. In return, Queen Serenity merely gave an imperious nod and noted Gohan's Crown, reflecting that if he were to die after the death of his grandfather, then the Moon Kingdom would gain a foothold upon Earth itself. Queen Serenity didn't even want to reflect upon the fact that a child between her daughter and a Saiyan would be heir.

"Your Majesty, Queen Serenity," Gohan started saying, he had been doing much research on the subject of protocol and learned all of the titles of the Monarch of the Moon. Though he decided to stick it to the three most important for now "Guardian of the Light of the Moon, Protector of the Confederation of the Planets and Empress of the Eastern Quadrant. I, Prince Gohan of the Ox Kingdom and Son of the Ascended Saiyan greet you humbly."

To say Queen Serenity was surprised was an understatement. She and many of her Ministers had not expected such a greeting from a Saiyan and were stunned to silence. Only Kami held a smile on his face, the two Saiyans on the other hand held scowls at the boy's politeness _"Why didn't he just demand to see his living quarters? Damn half breed weakling…" _The bald one thought.

Queen Serenity recovered and replied "I greet you Prince Gohan and your escort."

The bald Saiyan's face flashed with anger "We're more than his damn escort woman. I am Colonel Nappa of the Saiyan Army. He is Admiral Kurot of the Imperial Space Fleet, at least get that right."

There was a long, icy pause where you could actually feel the heat of rising tempers. Queen Serenity decided to ignore the outburst and continue regardless "Prince Gohan, you shall presently be guided to your living quarters where you shall wait until I can give you a formal interview. In the meantime, Colonel Nappa and Admiral Kurot shall meet with my Commanders to discuss the military preparations of our Alliance."

Gohan bowed again "I shall do so your Majesty." Queen Serenity gave a hand gesture and a servant from the side of the podium walked over to Gohan and with a small bow, he started to walk to the Palace, the Prince following behind him.

When he thought the young boy was out of earshot, Kurot muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear "Good riddance half breed." Kami flashed the Saiyan a glare that caused Kurot to avert his gaze to the ground. Even the proudest Saiyan warrior knew better than to anger the old Namek.

Nappa, though sharing the sentiments of Kurot, decided against voicing them and instead settled for "Well, when are we going to discuss about us saving your worthless hides from the Dark Kingdom?" He asked arrogantly.

"Hold your tongue Saiyan!" General Cosmos shouted hand gripping the sword at his side "You dare speak to Queen Serenity in such a fashion? Apologise now damn you!"

Nappa growled with fury but Kami quickly decided to defuse the situation with a shout of "Enough! We are here in order to help defend our lives and States. If we cannot even be civil to each other then our enemies have already grown stronger!"

There was a pause as everyone realised the truth in his words and allowed themselves to calm down. Queen Serenity was the first to break the silence "I believe a 5 minute break would be appropriate. I will send someone to guide you to the War Room where we will discuss the strategy against the Dark Kingdom and Freezing Empire." Everyone agreed to these words and the Ministers and generals of the Moon Kingdom stepped off the podium, heading to the Palace while Nappa and Kurot were left alone.

Looking around to see that no one could see them, Kurot leaned over to Nappa and murmured "So, did you store the device?"

Nappa nodded "It's in the half breed's trunk. I'll activate when it's unloaded and we're off this miserable excuse for a Planet." Nappa gave a sneer of absolute contempt "Soon we'll know everything that goes on in that Palace and they won't even realise it."

Kurot nodded and the two soundlessly started to walk to the Palace, both thinking about the new form of power the Saiyan Empire would have over the Moon Kingdom.

XxX

Luna stretched her back as she waited for Gohan to get to the room he would be sleeping in. After asking one of the guards, Luna had been surprised to see that Gohan would be living in a rather neglected room quite far away from the main bedrooms of the Palace. Though large and comfortable, the room was actually quite rudimentary when compared to the rooms of the Princess.

Looking around the room, Luna found herself frowning as she knew that as a visiting Prince and the husband to be of Serena, the Queen was actually giving the young Saiyan a studied insult. As Luna was lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the door open and someone had come in until a young sounding voice said "Oh, hello kitty, what are you doing here?"

Freezing in shock and slowly turning around, Luna set eyes on Gohan for the first time. The door behind him was shut as the servant who had escorted him left as soon as Gohan knew where his room was. Gohan walked over to Luna, crouched down and smiled a warm, loving smile "What's your name then kitty?" He then reached out slowly and started to stroke her on the head.

Luna was torn between keeping her identity secret to better aid her favour towards Serena and telling the young boy the truth. She was also highly embarrassed when Gohan started to stroke her head. She was a servant of the Moon Kingdom, not a mere pet! But on the other hand (Or paw if you will) the stroking was the equivalent to a massage for Luna and it felt _good_.

Gohan smiled as Luna started purring in pleasure "Well since I've yet to see anyone looking for a cat so how about I hold onto you for now?" Gohan stopped stroking and started to scratch Luna behind the ears "I think I'll call you… Crescent for now." Gohan said, referring to the mark upon Luna's forehead while wondering if every cat on the Moon had a similar mark.

Luna only just heard what Gohan was saying, the scratching was absolutely Heavenly and it was all Luna could do to pay attention. The sudden stop of the scratching came as a great shock to her and caught her attention. Looking up, Luna was shocked and saddened to see the young boy had tears in his eyes. As if reading Luna's thoughts, Gohan whispered in a choked up voice "Ever since I heard I was coming to the Moon Kingdom, I hoped that I'd be in a place where my bloodline doesn't matter and people would just accept me for who I am."

Despite her usual upright demeanour, Luna found herself touched as Gohan continued "I think that meeting you will be only the start of it." Gohan paused as he smiled through his tears of joy "I know that you'll only be the first of the friends I make here."

As the words came out, Luna could only feel her heart sink as she reflected upon what Gohan was saying. He thought that being a Saiyan wouldn't matter here as being a Human on Vegeta did? Luna could not help but feel great sorrow for the destruction of the hope in the young boy's heart when he truly found out what being a Saiyan on the Moon Kingdom meant.

To be continued…

**Well there's the second chapter rewritten… Don't really have much to say after that apart from R&R!**


	3. The Interview

A Marriage of Convenience

Queen Serenity felt rage that she had rarely ever experienced before. She had gone past anger, swished past fury and flew beyond livid and was now in some sort of calm island surrounded by an ocean of red mist. Serenity had never been this angry before, not in all her years of hard work and sacrifice in ruling the Moon Kingdom, but those Saiyans had caused her anger to boil to a near explosive level.

First of all, the two had ignored all protocol and didn't even to call Serenity 'Your Majesty' merely addressing her in contemptible and familiar terms. Then they had the presumption to forgo all negotiations and dictated their own terms of military support. And the support they were offering was minimal at best, a single regiment of Saiyans to patrol a small stretch of border on the Southern Quadrant. If it wasn't for the fact that the Saiyans had hinted that more help might be forthcoming at some point, Serenity might have ordered them to be escorted off the Moon. Despite her anger though, she was forced to admit that even a small element of help was desperately needed and had agreed to the terms.

But the actual action that had driven Serenity to such fury was a comment made by Colonel Nappa just as he and Kurot were leaving. In a tone that was arrogant in the extreme, Nappa had said in a volume that everyone could just about hear "Bark for us lapdogs." If Kami hadn't been in the room to take control, blood would have been shed by someone. As it was, Queen Serenity let them go with a tongue lashing that even the battle hardened duo found to be less than enjoyable.

And now she and the Ministers and Generals of the Moon Kingdom were sat in a large semi circle in the Throne Room in preparation for an interview with Prince Gohan. Kami was currently with the Saiyans in order to make sure there weren't any more heated moments while they unloaded Gohan's luggage from their Spaceship. The Namekian had been reluctant, wanting to be there for the interview, but as General Cosmos pointed out, this was a point of business between the government and Gohan, not an old yet distinguished Namek. Cosmos did not like Kami much.

Set out with a semi-circle of chairs and desks for various Ministers and Military representatives to sit at, the Throne Room had shifted its focus to a spot broadly in the middle of it. It was a tradition of the Moon Kingdom for every important government official to take part in an interview of any prospective spouse a Royal Wedding. Though this marriage was guaranteed, many still wanted to see what type of person Gohan was and so, the interview was about to commence.

The Ministers were all dressed in their official robes. They reached down to their ankles, were padded and silver in colour. Each Minister also wore a white sash, showing they were dedicated to the peaceful running of the Moon Kingdom. The Generals however, wore made to measure uniforms, dark blue in colour and with a black sash to show they were dedicated to the defence of the Moon Kingdom.

The doors at the end of the Throne Room opened and revealed Gohan who, still wearing his circlet crown and armour, walked through. He stopped in the centre of the semi circle and bowed deeply "I'm honoured to be in the presence of Your Majesty and other illustrious Ministers of State." He said, concentrating on each and every word so he didn't mess up.

Queen Serenity nodded, her anger still bubbling below the surface but it was slightly abated from Gohan's words. The boy was definitely something different from what she had expected "I thank you Prince Gohan of Ox. What is your opinion of the Moon Kingdom so far?"

Gohan paused while he thought for a minute "The cats are nice." He said finally, earning one or two chuckles from the Ministers; even Queen Serenity gave a small smile at the innocent answer though something at the back of her mind tried to get her attention…

"What do you know of the culture of the Moon Kingdom?" Asked Minister Celeste, the Minister of Science for the Moon Kingdom, an old, short woman with silver hair and a playful smile ever across her face.

"How do you mean culture? I've learnt so much about it like the Operas of the composer Star, the paintings of Lumos and even looked at the philosophies of Orbit. They're all so fascinating so I never really turned down learning anything!" There wasn't the slightest trace of sarcasm or irony in Gohan's voice; he only showed his enthusiasm in the subjects he had learned about.

Minister Celeste paused and then smiled; she had no real hatred towards Saiyans and had more of a sense of humour than several others in the Throne Room "Well I believe that answers my question…" She said with more than a trace of amusement.

Another question came from Admiral Orion, a short, thin humourless man who had seen the marriage between Gohan and Serena as a personal attack upon the Moon Kingdom's honour "And how do you know so much about the Moon Kingdom's culture and history young man?"

Gohan gave an embarrassed smile "Well my mother always made me study and when I was six I was given a book on the history of the Moon Kingdom. I've just had a really deep interest since then. I've always wanted to see the Museum of Science on the Moon, I've some of the exhibits are really interesting…"

Unnoticed by the other Ministers, Celeste smiled to herself, she was head of the Museum and had personally overseen the establishment of the exhibits _"I think me and Prince Gohan should have a chat someday soon…" _She mused to herself.

Another man spoke up to ask a question from his desk in the Throne Room. Minister Doradus was a rather fat man with a bushy beard who oversaw the diplomatic relations with the Confederation of Planets. He took everything very seriously and was intrigued by Gohan. He had always been curious about the Saiyans as no real books existed upon the Moon Kingdom detailing their culture or history. Minister Doradus saw this interview as something of an opportunity "Tell me Prince Gohan." He said in his sombre voice. Doradus was once a headmaster or a well respected boarding school and he still talked to everyone as he would a pupil "I have heard that your father has taken the ancient title of 'Ascended Saiyan'. Could you care to tell us what that position entails?"

Gohan nodded although he really didn't like this question. It reminded him that his father being the Ascended Saiyan was the reason why he was alone on a distant planet and various other… unsavoury facts "The Ascended Saiyan is a Saiyan whose strength transcends all others. According to legend, a Saiyan who becomes focused on one single goal and is strong enough is driven by their emotions into a new state of being. In short, they 'Ascend' to a new level of power."

Doradus nodded in understanding and prepared to ask another question when a mocking voice rang throughout the Throne Room "While this is all very well and good, we came here to interview the Princess's husband to be. Not discuss Saiyan fairy tales." The voice was dripping with contempt and sarcasm. All eyes turned to see who had spoken and fell on General Cosmos. Of all the Ministers and Generals present, Cosmos hated the Saiyans the most, seeing them as treacherous, vile barbarians.

Cosmos smirked as he saw the looks of minor outrage on the Ministers and Generals. _"Why should we pretend that we aren't repulsed by the Saiyan's very presence?" _Cosmos thought. Outwardly, he said with a sneer "Why have your parents failed to come here boy?"

The tone of voice seemed to completely go over Gohan's head as he said plainly "My father was needed to fight the Freezing Empire and my mother has just found out she was pregnant…"

Cosmos quickly interrupted Gohan by muttering just loud enough for everyone to hear "Presumably it's from the same father…" Before anyone could reply Cosmos drove on "And… Gohan was it? Why would a Saiyan dare take on a civilised name?"

Innocent though he was, Gohan had realised that Cosmos was throwing some very hateful insults at him. Keeping his temper in line, Gohan answered "My father once met a martial artist from Earth who was named Gohan. My father really respected him and named me in my honour. My mother liked the name too so that's why…"

Cosmos waved the answer off "Marrying a Saiyan, the Ox Kingdom must really be scraping the barrel." Cosmos muttered, not even bothering to notice Gohan's face turn to a furious scowl "And so your mother, having been foolhardy enough to join with a savage, then abandoned you to be raised by a true civilisation while she has another child presumably to make sure she doesn't make the same mistake twice."

Gohan felt his power surge as his anger rose. It was only the fear that acting on his anger could destroy the fragile Alliance that prevented Gohan from allowing his emotions to get the better of him. All around the Throne Room, there was an atmosphere of embarrassment from most and outrage from some. Ministers Celeste and Doradus in particular felt that Cosmos was being vile and vindictive for no real reason. Queen Serenity, who was the only one with the authority to stop the questions, actually felt some outrage as well but the anger from the War Council was still preventing her from stopping Cosmos.

Cosmos was yet to finish "Tell be boy, do you know of the events of the Galactic War five hundred years ago?"

Gohan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down _"I have to take these insults for the sake of the Alliance." _He thought. In reply to the question; he said "Yes I do. The Galactic War was a conflict between the Freezing Empire and the powers of the Central and Northern Quadrant. It lasted for eighteen years during which…"

"The Saiyans betrayed their Allies and bowed to the Freezing Empire." Cosmos interrupted "Tell me boy, how long will it be before your, and I use this word as loosely as possible, people change their minds and once again skulk back to the Freezing Empire, with their tails between their legs like common mongrels?"

Gohan was actually getting a headache now, his head pounding as his veins throbbed from keeping his rage under control. In reply, Gohan gritted his teeth and answered slowly "There will be no changing of Alliances while the Saiyans are still able to fight."

"Or until they are too weak to fight for themselves." Cosmos sneered. Finally, Gohan felt his temper snap at the insults against him and his family.

"You mean like the Moon Kingdom? Tell me 'General'," Gohan said the rank with as much sarcasm as he could muster "How would have the Moon Kingdom have fared if you hadn't come to the Saiyans with your tails between your legs?"

The affect upon Cosmos with this question was almost instant. He rose from his chair and almost screaming, spat words at Gohan "You dare take that tone with me you barbarian? Who do you think you are?" Pointing a finger at Gohan, Cosmos growled "Remember _Saiyan_, just because your mother made a mistake in having you does not mean you are civilised. You and your people are savages and nothing else!"

"COSMOS! ENOUGH!" The shout came from Queen Serenity who had been looking on for the last few minutes with horror. Though she had no love for Saiyans, Cosmos's actions were irreprehensible "There is no need for such conduct!" Knowing that continuing the interview would be pointless under such circumstances, Serenity called out "Prince Gohan, I find that you are suitable. A servant will escort you back to your room."

Gohan only nodded in reply, bowed and then walked out of the Throne Room, the doors opening and shutting before and behind him. The Ministers and Generals of the Moon Kingdom each got up from their chairs and slowly started to move out of the Throne Room. Only General Cosmos stayed behind and walked to Queen Serenity, bowing slightly and asking "Your Majesty, why did you stop me? That Saiyan dared to speak against a General of the Moon Kingdom. How could you allow…"

Queen Serenity cut him off "And you dared speak against a Prince of the Ox Kingdom of Earth." Something perverse deep in Serenity's soul stirred "Remember Cosmos, Prince Gohan outranks you; it would be good to show him some respect that is entitled to him for his station."

General Cosmos looked shaken at those words as he realised their truth "Outranked by a Saiyan?" He said mournfully and walked away, visibly shocked.

Smiling slightly, Queen Serenity asked herself a question_ "Why did I support Gohan over one of my own Generals?"_ The answer came quickly _"Kami."_ Perhaps the old Namek was knocking some of her old prejudices away after all… Another thought from earlier came to Serenity's mind and it caused her to frown in thought _"Cats?"_

XxX

Some distance away from the Queen, Luna lay curled up on the bed, idly slumbering while she waited for Gohan's return. The opening of the door to the bedroom alerted her to this, sooner than she had expected and she quickly sat up, maintaining her silence as a servant allowed Gohan through the door, closing it soon afterwards. For a moment, Gohan stood alone with his face steady before slowly walking over to the bed and falling onto it, his hands gripping tightly onto the sheets, his breathing becoming heavy as he fought to control his emotions

Luna walked cautiously up to Gohan and gently placed a paw upon his shoulder. Gohan slowly lifted his head up and upon seeing Luna let loose a gasp that betrayed the emotions coursing through him and his eyes sparkled with tears. Luna's heart could not sink any further than it already had done since Gohan had come into the room but it still felt an icy stab as he finally spoke.

"Savage. They called me a savage." Gohan said as if he was speaking to the Universe in general "Why is it that I'm a savage to Humans and a weakling to Saiyans? I don't want to be a savage; I don't want to be a weakling. I just want to be Gohan."

Luna stayed with Gohan for the next two hours as he lay on the bed, struggling to keep his emotions in check from the humiliation he had experienced. Luna started to suspect that there was something about the boy that was hurting more than simply what had happened at the interview and his words had nailed this idea further. It was evident that the boy had some darkness in his past; she only hoped there would be some comfort here despite the circumstances. When he finally drifted off into slumber, Luna crept out of the room and went to report to Serena.

XxX

In the halls of the Royal Palace, the luggage of Gohan was momentarily left alone as the various servants made certain that their other duties were performed first. The luggage could wait. Even Kami had left to ask Serenity how the interview had gone. Therefore, no one was around when a small, hidden compartment in one of the trunks opened and a small metallic object came out. It was round, the size of a man's fists and was black in colour except for a small glassy area in its centre. It hovered momentarily before shooting upwards and attaching itself to the roof.

After another moment of waiting, the object changed to the same colour as the ceiling and vanished from sight. It would stay unnoticed for a long time afterwards.

XxX

In the depths of the Southern Quadrant, three figures stood in front of a glowing black orb that was three times the size of a Human head. The orb focused upon a picture of the Moon's Royal Palace with the Spaceship of the Saiyans being seen taking off. One figure, a tall, lean woman with fiery red hair finally spoke, the others taking keen interest in her words "What do you believe we should do to respond to the marriage Babidi?" She asked, her voice clearly showing her thoughts that she wasn't bothered about the answer a great deal.

The second figure, who looked like a mix between a slug and a pile up on the malformed man, replied with some inward displeasure at having been addressed in such a fashion "Do your Majesty? I believe we should carry on as planned. The Saiyan who is going to marry Princess Serena is famed for being weak. I believe our attack upon the Moon Kingdom should continue." Babidi smirked "Junior here can lead it himself."

Queen Beryl looked over to the third and tallest figure, her eyes showing some favour to him "Do you believe you can accomplish this task?" She asked, obviously wanting a positive answer.

The third figure nodded "Of course your Majesty." He said "And Babidi?" Babidi was unable to even react before the figure grabbed his throat and held him high above the ground. Babdibi looked down to the green skinned being with fierce features and cold merciless eyes "My name is Piccolo."

"Put him down Piccolo." The woman ordered in a tired tone "Although his ever present insubordination is begging for a punishment, it can wait until after the attack."

Slowly, and with some reluctance, Piccolo lowered Babidi back to his feet, the smaller being quickly taking a few steps back as he glared up at his attacker but not making a single move for fear of reprisal from either of the other two "Your spell is getting close to completion isn't it?" The woman demanded, not caring for Babidi's state.

"Y-Yes your Majesty." The sorcerer replied, his breath short and anger on the cusp of exploding at his suffering "I just need too…"

"Do it, as soon as possible." The Queen replied without hesitation "And hope for its success lest I allow Piccolo to finish what he started this day."

Without another word, Babidi scurried away, inwardly fuming at his humiliation at the hands of Piccolo and the Queen. Only the thought of the secret project he had been working on gave him any kind of satisfaction, he'd show them all alright…

As Babidi left the light of the orb, the Queen turned to Piccolo who quickly got down on his knee at the sudden attention, knowing it was certainly in his best interest to do so "When you lead the attack Piccolo, bring me the Princess. The Queen's suffering over her daughter's fate shall be most pleasing."

"I will do so Queen Beryl." Piccolo replied, not vocalising his questions as to why she wanted such a task done. He knew that his life depended on keeping quiet in such a manner and after so many years being a slave to this woman, he was not about to slip up now and ruin his chance for freedom. And, more importantly, revenge.

To be continued…

**The plot thickens! I hope you enjoyed this and don't worry; Gohan won't be on the bottom of Fortune's wheel for too long. R&R! Also now updated with hopefully better writing!**


	4. The Prince and Princess

A Marriage of Convenience

The Throne Room of Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom was akin to a perverted version of the Throne Room of Queen Serenity. It was huge, grand and had a large Throne with great gild and decoration. Unlike the Throne Room of the Moon Kingdom however, this Throne Room was dark and covered in shadows, with only a few flaming torches illuminating the surrounding area. Also, the Throne Room of the Moon Kingdom was never this full as the Dark Kingdom's was right now. From wall to wall, the officers of the Dark Kingdom stood in attention, facing the Throne which Queen Beryl was sat upon.

Queen Beryl smiled as she gazed over the many soldiers who stood before her. Smiling regally she began to state her plan of attack upon the Moon Kingdom "Soldiers of the Dark Kingdom, the sorcerer Babdibi…"

To her great surprise, Queen Beryl was interrupted by a soldier (Known as 'Lite') putting up his hand and saying "Actually your Majesty, his name is Babidi. You see, if you put is name next to his father's you get a rather amusing pun on…" He was interrupted by Queen Beryl flexing her hand and shooting out a bolt of energy that incinerated Lite on the spot.

"That's what happens to smart arses." Muttered a figure (Who simply went by the name of Da) who stood by the small pile ashes which used to be Lite.

"As I was saying," Growled Beryl "The sorcerer Babidi," Beryl glared around the room, daring anyone to contradict her "Has finalised his plans for our attack on the very soil of the Moon itself. This force of 800 under Piccolo shall launch an attack upon the Palace of the Moon Kingdom's Royal Family. I hope for your sake, I hope you succeed."

The crowd gave a shudder of fear which greatly pleased Beryl as she continued "Two weeks from today, you shall be lead into battle against our greatest foes and you shall obliterate them! The Dark Kingdom shall reign supreme!"

The soldiers erupted into cheers as the words from their Queen emboldened them forward, little realising that the assault would almost certainly cost them their lives. Queen Beryl knew that a mere 800 soldiers would never be able to topple the Moon Kingdom. But an attack of 800 could seriously damage the position of the Moon Kingdom and further weaken it.

Queen Beryl had been surprised when Piccolo had accepted the order to lead the attack. Only when Kunzite pointed out that the father of the young Saiyan who was currently living on the Moon Kingdom was the man who had slain Piccolo's father in battle did Beryl realise that the Namek had ulterior motives _"It is of small note anyway. Once Piccolo is dead, it'll be one less complication in my schemes."_

Beryl continued to smile as the soldiers before continued to cheer _"Soon, the Moon Kingdom shall be mine…"_

XxX

Mornings on the Moon Kingdom were rather pleasant, with no real change in the seasons like there were on Earth, the Moon's climate was that of a pleasant spring throughout the entire year. Such a climate very rarely called for early morning risings amongst the Moon's population and usually, only the Queen and guards rose before 8:00 'o clock. This morning was very different than the others however as two other figures were up and walking around the Palace. They were Princess Serena, clad in her white pyjamas and fine slippers and Luna, on a mission.

Luna peered around the final corner that led towards Gohan's bedroom. Seeing that there was no one around, Luna gave an exasperated sigh and said "There's no one here Serena, it's safe to go." Serena walked past Luna with a firm purpose and stood before the door "Princess Serena!" Luna said harshly, determined to try and stop Serena one last time "I do wish you'd rethink your course of action! You're going against your mother's strict instructions and if you were caught…" Luna let the sentence hanging in the air, letting Serena's imagination fill in the blanks.

Serena gave Luna a smile in reply "I know mother doesn't want me to do to meet Gohan but after what you told me last night, how can I leave him alone?"

Luna smiled slightly, though she was by no mean perfect, Serena had a heart bigger than the Kingdom she would one day inherit "All right," Luna muttered "I'll stay on guard and if anyone comes, I'll give you a warning."

Serena gave her friend a smile "Thanks Luna." She then opened the bedroom door, walked through and shut it behind her. The sight which greeted her was rather surprising. Serena had been told by Luna that the bedroom wasn't the most grand in the Palace and was rather small compared to Serena's. What was surprising to Serena however was the sight of the sleeping form of Gohan. The young boy was curled up on top of the bed sheets; his hands under his head, a serene look upon his face and mouth open slightly open, breathing softly.

In an instant, Serena felt her heart melt towards the young boy who lay there sleeping, he looked so sweet and innocent that for a moment, it Serena considered the option of going back but, realising however, it was best to mend the wounds early on, she walked forward and gently started to shake Gohan on the shoulder "Prince Gohan, please wake up…" She said quietly.

It should be noted at this time that the sleeping pattern of many Saiyans was influenced by their different metabolisms from Humans. Depending on food ate and energy spent, a Saiyan could sleep from between ten minutes and eight hours feeling completely refreshed either way. Gohan, had been under great mental strain for the last day and hadn't eaten for around 18 hours, he would need several hours of sleep in order to recover.

Serena didn't know this and after five minutes of trying to shake Gohan awake, was starting to get annoyed. Using both hands and shaking him by the shoulders didn't work so Serena tried shouting at the same time to see if that would work "WAKE UP YOU DOPE!!"

The only effect however was for Gohan to turn over and mumble "But mommy, I disproved Mr. Einstein's theory last week. Can't I have a few more…?" He then started to snore.

Serena was beginning to become incensed. Also, she was running out of ideas. Shaking and shouting didn't work; also, since Gohan was breathing through his mouth, she doubted that pinching his nose would have any affect. Only one option left and it was the most evil of them all. When he had gone to bed, Gohan had removed his crown, armour and boots, leaving him dressed only in the dark blue material that went down from his neck to his ankles, leaving his feet bare.

Serena grinned evilly as she walked to the food of the bed, reached out and tickled Gohan on the feet. The effect as instantaneous as Gohan's eyes opened wide, gave a small squeal and he leapt a foot into the air, crashing down over the side of the bed onto the floor. Serena watched as his head groggily rose above the side of the bed and look around blearily "Good morning!" Serena called out in a cheery voice.

It took one second for Gohan to see Serena, squawk out "AH! GIRL!" And duck behind the bed. Among the most unexpected things to have happened in Serena's life, Gohan's reaction to her was among the top three.

Serena peered around the side of the bed to see Gohan crouching down, blushing furiously "You're not very good with girls are you?" Serena asked the Saiyan.

"Don't get to meet many." Gohan mumbled, still blushing.

"Don't they have many girls on Vegeta?"

"There is but their parents don't want me near them."

There was a slight tone in his voice that suggested to Serena that this was a subject that would be unwise to pursue. She deftly changed the topic "Pleased to meet you, I'm Princess Serena."

Gohan looked at her directly for the first time before scrambling to his feet and bowing low "Greetings your Highness," He said in a flustered way "I wasn't expecting to meet you yet. Your mother had informed me that you were ill."

"_She did, did she?" _Serena thought to herself. Outwardly, she smiled and said "I got better. And please don't call me 'Princess' or anything like that. All that formal stuff gets so boring. Just call me Serena and I'll call you Gohan. Agreed?"

Gohan gave an embarrassed smile and nodded, he wasn't quite used to this sort of friendliness from someone outside his own family "Alright… Serena, I'll do that." The two paused for a moment as both thought _"He/She actually seems quite nice." _Gohan finally spoke after the thought "I hope you don't mind me asking your High… Sorry, Serena. But why are you here so early?"

Serena fiddled with her long hair nervously (If she had left it free, she and Gohan would have been having this conversation half an hour earlier) and answered "Well I came here to make sure you're alright and apologise."

"Apologise? Why?"

"Well I heard about what happened to you in the interview with my mother yesterday and I wanted to say sorry for what you had to go through. Cosmos had no right to do what he did." There was a certain vehemence in Serena's voice that made Gohan wonder that if Cosmos actually had any friends and thankful that the tone of voice wasn't directed against him.

Once again, Gohan blushed but this was more to do with the fact that Serena had gone to so much trouble for his sake than actual embarrassment. He listened as she went on "I would have been here earlier only the security is too high during the night. I had to wait for the guards to change shift." Serena gave one final tug on her hair out of nerves "I just hope you don't think all of the people of the Moon Kingdom are likes Cosmos. I mean, some are but there are others who don't care about what species you are. I hope you won't think too badly of us…"

Serena petered out as she realised that Gohan had tears in his eyes and his mouth was covered by his hand "No one…" He said so quietly that Serena struggled to hear "No one from outside my family has ever actually gone out of their way like this for me before." He looked up and smiled at Serena "Thanks Serena, you don't know how much this means to me."

Serena paused for second before she smiled at the young boy "Anytime for a friend." She said, causing Gohan's smile to grow even wider.

He suddenly blinked and looked panicked "Ah! Where are my manners?" He said and looked around "Would you like to sit down somewhere?" He looked around again before giving up. There weren't any chairs in Gohan's room; there was a large wardrobe, a desk with various drawers, a full length mirror and a door leading to a bathroom, but no chairs.

It didn't really matter to Serena however as she merely sat upon the edge of the bed "What do you think of the Moon Kingdom so far? Excluding Cosmos of course."

"It looks really nice; I really want to go see the Science Museum, the Art Museum…"

Serena felt herself get nervous as Gohan listed almost every single Museum on the Moon, places she never had any interest in _"Where's Ami when you need her?" _She thought to herself. Luckily, Gohan broke himself off by yawning loudly "I guess I woke you up too early…"

Gohan shook his head "Nah, I'm just really hungry." He looked at Serena with a bit of sternness in his eyes "And please don't wake me up like that again."

Serena started to smile evilly "Why? You're not ticklish are you Gohan?" She flexed her fingers in a menacing manner.

Gohan looked terrified for an instant "Serena… You, you wouldn't…" Thankfully, his stomach interrupted the proceedings by letting out a tremendous gurgle. Serena raised her eyebrows in surprise, the noise sounded like it could have come out of some chemical processing plant.

"Hungry?" Serena asked "I think we've got enough time to sneak into the kitchens and get some food before breakfast."

"Are we allowed to do that?" Gohan asked worriedly. Like his parents, Gohan had a strict moral code.

"Technically not but there's no harm and I do it all the time without anyone complaining. Come on!" Serena stood up off the bed and motioned for Gohan to follow her as she went for the door. When the door was opened, Serena looked down and smiled at Luna who was sitting down in front of the door.

The cat gave a sigh of relief and a small smile that quickly turned into an expression of horror when she heard Gohan's voice call out "Crescent! There you are!" Gohan rushed up to Luna and scooped her up in his arms "I was wondering where you'd got too." Gohan paused and turned towards Serena who was biting her tongue in order to stop herself from screeching in laughter "Serena, do you know if Crescent belongs to someone? I wouldn't want to take someone's cat away from them."

Luna looked pleadingly into Serena's eyes for help and, despite her every instinct screaming otherwise "Actually, that's my friend Luna; I don't think she takes kindly to being held like that."

Gohan looked disappointed for a moment and gently put Luna to the ground "I suppose so." He brightened up "But she likes it when I do this." And started to scratch Luna behind the ears, causing her eyes to bulge before half closing and become unfocused.

Serena couldn't help herself and finally let out a shout of laughter "She never lets me do that!" Serena exclaimed, much to Gohan's surprise.

"Really? She seems so friendly; I'd never have guessed that she'd react badly to something." This point seemed to be proved as Luna had now started to purr contentedly.

"Well she actually just told me rather than reacted badly…"

Gohan looked at Luna in surprise and stopped scratching "You mean you can talk?!" He asked the cat in shock.

Luna looked embarrassed and shuffled a paw nervously "Yes I can talk Prince Gohan, but I assure you I did not wish to deceive you in any way. Princess Serena had requested that I meet you in order see what sort of person you were. There was no offence intended."

Gohan shrugged his shoulders "It's OK. I think my mother would have done the same if Serena had come over to visit us." He paused for a moment "Actually, I'm sure she would have done the same…" Another gurgle from his stomach interrupted him and caused the young boy to blush.

"Come on," Serena said "I'll show you the way to the kitchens.

XxX

The Kitchens of the Palace were, all in all, disappointing. Gohan had expected legions of chefs constantly working over hot stoves, preparing the finest meals known to the Galaxy. What he got instead was a very large, but very empty kitchen that looked as if it had never heard of the word 'roast' before. Gohan's dismay was compounded when Serena showed him what he would be eating…

"Lettuce?" He guessed. The small plate that Serena had prepared for him had a small pile of what appeared to be some kind of silver coloured lettuce "You mean you eat lettuce all the time?"

Serena raised an eyebrow in confusion "Lettuce? This isn't lettuce, it's faiter, the whole basis of the Moon Kingdom's farming. Try some; you're bound to like it."

Gohan mentally shrugged, picked up some of the Faiter and took a large bite of it. Serena smiled happily "See? I knew you'd like it, it's just a shame you're only having it when it's raw. All the chefs are able to make these sauces that'll make your mouth water and during supper, we also have some chocolate that really hits the spot."

Gohan listened morosely as Serena went on singing the virtues of the faiter. While she was right concerning the flavour, there was no texture to the plant, it was just like lettuce in some respect, it was good for you a fresh but you couldn't get your teeth into it and have a good chew. And Gohan knew he would never be able to get a full stomach from the stuff "I don't suppose there's anything else is there?" He asked hopefully.

"Well there is fruit such as apples and other things if you'd like a snack between meals." Luna commented from where she was sitting on top of the table Gohan was sitting at.

"Actually, I was thinking more along the grounds of meat." Gohan was surprised to see the look of horror and disgust that crossed Serena's and Luna's faces.

"Meat?" Serena exclaimed "Isn't that from dead animals?"

"Well… yes but…"

"That's disgusting! It's… It's… Uurgh." Serena stuck out her tongue in disgust while Luna limited herself to merely giving a shudder of horror at the thought that anyone could even think about eating meat.

She glanced up at the clock above the door and hurriedly said "I believe it'll be best if we go now, the chefs will soon be coming in to start on breakfast."

Serena nodded and held out her hand to Gohan "It was really nice meeting you Gohan. I'll try to make sure that we can meet sometime soon."

Gohan reached out and shook Serena's hand "I'm looking forward to it and with the ball will be next week, I'm sure we'll be able to meet then at least."

Serena smiled openly and said "It'll be great. I can introduce you to the other Princesses of the Planets. They're great friends of mine."

Gohan beamed with pleasure "I'd like that a lot." He said.

They were interrupted by a sly cough from Luna "I think it would be best if we left before we're discovered. And I believe that you two can let go of each other's hands now." Both Gohan and Serena blushed furiously at that comment and slowly withdrew their hands.

Serena and Luna headed towards the door with Serena turning back to say "I'll try to meet up with you sometime later today after I've finished with my studies. Hopefully my mother will let us meet up before long."

Gohan nodded, overlooking Serena's comment about her mother "I'll have all my stuff unpacked by then. I'm looking forward to it already." He smiled to himself as Serena and Luna left the room and bit into the faiter, not even minding the lack of texture to it this time.

XxX

Luna yawned and stretched her back, giving a off a small crack with produced some amount of satisfaction. Serena was currently looking into her studies and Gohan was overseeing the unpacking of his luggage leaving Luna with some free time. She usually spent such time in the Palace gardens, having a long, relaxing walk and quiet time of contemplation. Luna decided that this would be the perfect time for a cat nap, seeing as how she didn't get much sleep last night.

The gardens of the Moon Kingdom were different from those on any other World. There were no greens or reds but a much silver and dark blue. While the gardening skills on other Worlds concentrated on creating displays of great beauty, the Moon gardens instead placed emphasis on the life of the plants and the extension of them.

Luna was about to curl up and catch forty winks when a voice was heard from behind her "Ah Luna, I did wish to speak to you." Luna turned to see General Cosmos behind her.

"General Cosmos, this is a surprise." It was, Luna and Cosmos very rarely spoke to each other and the\ conversations they had in the past had usually ended in firm and rather impolite disagreements.

"Well I decided to enjoy the midday air when I saw you and decided to get your opinion on a very important matter to all of us." His face darkened "I am of course referring to this disgraceful marriage that insults us all."

"Regardless of insult, it is a decision made by the Queen and who are we to question to her?" Luna answered calmly, not liking the direction of Comos's thinking.

"Oh of course," Cosmos said less than enthusiastically "But I and several other… concerned figures of Government were thinking of approaching the Queen and… advising her of a different course of action."

"And what course of action is that?"

"We believe that our stance on the Saiyans has been far too soft and apologetic. We believe cancelling the marriage and returning to the previous state of affairs while also building up our military will bring back the respect of our real Allies on Earth."

"And what of Gohan?" Luna demanded "He would be returned to Vegeta I hope." In truth, Luna was instantly disgusted with what Cosmos was suggesting but wanted to know every aspect of his plan.

"He will be kept here as a… diplomatic guest. He shall help make sure the Saiyan Empire doesn't make any rash movements."

"A hostage you mean." Luna snapped.

There was a long pause before Cosmos answered "Those are your words Luna, not mine."

Luna turned her back on the man with disgust "I will not do such a thing Cosmos. Our Alliance with the Saiyans is necessary, even if you refuse to accept that. I will not support this foolhardy notion even for a second and especially not in front of the Queen."

Cosmos did not show one flicker of emotion on his face, instead he merely nodded his head and said "Very well, but be warned Luna, I shall not forget this treachery." And with that, he turned and left. Luna watched him leave and felt a chill in her soul. How far can hatred drive a person like Cosmos?

To be continued…

**New chapter, whee! Hope you all enjoyed and MasterMillerLite, I hope you don't mind that bit at the beginning. It just popped into my head after I read your reviews (Which are really helpful to me) and I hope you don't take any offence from it. Everyone, please R&R! **


	5. A Saiyan's Training

A Marriage of Convenience

There is a time in every students day when the time of learning and studying has finished and the free time before tomorrow seems to stretch out for much longer than it actually does. Serena was currently occupying that happy plane of existence, having just finished her studies a few minutes ago. She was travelling through the Palace in order to see Queen Serenity and ask her permission to see Gohan. Serena knew her mother would be taking her afternoon tea in her private garden at this moment and so headed that way.

The private garden of Queen Serenity was attended to by the Queen herself and she had developed into one of the most skilled gardeners of the Moon Kingdom. The large neat rows of silver and dark blue flowers were lovingly attended too and some were over ten years of age, a sign of great skill for a gardener living on the Moon. Queen Serenity was attending to one of the rows now, trimming here, watering there and each action carefully thought out before it being performed. Serena paused while her mother finished her job on one row as she knew that the Queen hated being interrupted during her gardening.

When Queen Serenity had finally finished the row, Serena spoke up "Mother? Can I speak with you?"

The Queen turned and smiled when she saw her daughter "Of course Serena, just take a seat over there." She indicated a table with several chairs placed around it and a small plate with some faiter upon it. While Serena sat down, Serenity took off her gardening gloves and took another chair, taking a slice of faiter while she did so and taking a bite out of it. When she had finished, Serenity asked "So how did your studies go today Serena?"

The panicked look that came over her daughter's face told Serenity everything that she needed to know but listened anyway when Serena said "Oh… Um… Quite well I think, I looked at history today and…"

"I hope you didn't fall asleep again." Serenity interrupted "Your tutors have told me of your impromptu naps in the middle of a lesson." Serena blushed at this and Serenity allowed herself a small smile. Her daughter would make a fine Queen one day if only she could take her studies more seriously "Now you said that you wanted to talk to me about something?"

Serena nodded "I was hoping that I could get your permission to meet with Go… Prince Gohan." Serena corrected, knowing that she didn't want her mother to know how friendly she'd become with Gohan.

Queen Serenity froze when she heard this, her emotions conflicting with each other. Age old prejudices told her to turn down her daughter's request while other, more recent feelings were asking why should she do so. Queen Serenity had not forgotten how Gohan had acted during the interview in comparison to Cosmos and the fact she had defended the young boy against one of her most trusted generals. She settled with a question "Why would you like to see Prince Gohan before the Ball next week?"

Serena gave her answer instantly, to Serenity it sounded strangely… rehearsed "Well he is my husband to be after all. I think that we should be able to meet before a massive public display."

Serenity considered what she knew was a very good reason but still her emotions clashed. Could she honestly trust a Saiyan not to harm her daughter in any way? That question had been plaguing her ever since she had accepted the idea of marriage but as she had seen what Gohan was like, the fear within her had diminished somewhat. But with Serena outright asking her, everything had come back to the fore and now she had to make a decision.

"Can I go then mother?" Serena asked, getting a little impatient.

Serenity paused for a moment before making her decision. Gohan had proven to be much more a typical Saiyan had had shown signs of being everything that Kami said he would be. Serena should be able to meet her husband to be anyway "Alright, you van go." There was a pause as Serena broke into a large smile before Serenity spoke again "And I'll go with you. I should speak to Prince Gohan on a personal level before the Ball."

Serenity rose from her chair and strode towards the Palace, leaving Serena to trail behind, looking very anxious…

XxX

The training regime that the Saiyan race put themselves through was designed to bring them to their physical peak when they were only children and then maintain that peak throughout their entire lives. The very nature of the training was so brutal compared to the other races of the Galaxy that it was perhaps unsurprising that the Saiyans's had become the dominant power in the Western Quadrant next only to the Freezing Empire. Although that fortunes of the latter had now taken a severe turn for the worst.

Gohan was currently putting himself through the training regime that was standard for an eleven year old Saiyan. It has been commented previously that most Saiyans considered Gohan's lack of power a profound mystery other than blaming it on his bloodline. But the heart of the matter lay in the fact that Gohan was a true contradiction in terms for his people. He was a Saiyan who was in fact, a committed pacifist. He had never told anyone about how he felt about fighting, not even his parents fearing that his family would think him weak like the other Saiyans did.

Gohan had never been in a position where fighting meant life or death, only fighting when his father and grandfather pushed him into it. He'd never seen fighting as a thrill like his father or a way of life as his grandfather did. All Gohan saw fighting as was proof that he was inadequate as a Saiyan and an embarrassment to his family. He longed to be a scholar like his mother wanted but it had been too expensive to send him to a school outside of Saiyan territory. The Saiyan Empire was far from lacking in schools but the education they offered was geared solely to the Five Stations.

The fact remained that Gohan spent his entire life hoping for the dream of leaving behind a life of being a warrior and perhaps leaving to study on Earth or somewhere else. His position as the Prince of the Ox Kingdom had given him hope of this as he knew when he reached the age of 18, he would have to travel to the Ox Kingdom and be ordained into the ruling classes which would allow him access to Earth's own Universities. His escape from Saiyan society would have been fully finished when he had become the King of the Ox Kingdom, due to his Grandfather having told Gohan that he had grown tired of ruling and was ready to abdicate once Gohan was ready to take over.

This marriage had thrown everything out the window though, Gohan had escaped the prejudices against him on Vegeta only to find them (Albeit in a somewhat different form) here on the Moon Kingdom. His succession to the Ox Kingdom was guaranteed but due to the agreement reached between Emperor Vegeta and Queen Serenity, Gohan would stay on the Moon and serve as Royal Consort until something came up. Though the Moon did have great schools and Universities, Gohan regretted that he'd be unable to travel to Earth as he did like the World during his occasional visits, even if the locals were a little… odd.

A punch faster than the untrained eye could follow whistled through the air and jerked to a stop. Gohan then pulled back his fist and changed his fighting stance into a more defensive one, barely even breathing. One major disadvantage that he had in his training now was the difference in gravity that existed between the Moon and Vegeta. The gravity back on Vegeta was ten times that of the Moon Kingdom and so Gohan was now free from pressure that he'd gotten used too his entire life.

The gravity still affected him at times; Gohan didn't even dare to jump lest he create a large hole in the roof. His father had helped him prepare for the difference in gravity but it still took a lot of effort for him not too jump about three feet into the air with every step. Even the weighted clothing he was currently wearing was of little good, Planet Vegeta had a climate that was either cool or freezing and the weighted clothing provided was far too warm for him to comfortably train in. He was currently stripped to the waist and letting his tail dangle free while he threw punch and kick combinations into the air.

After a minute, Gohan stopped and took a breather while glancing around his (Now much more furnished) room. His text books were piled up in a corner according to subject and alphabetical order. His clothes had been packed into the wardrobe, a desk set up for him to study at and all his training equipment set up against the far wall. Gohan walked over to the equipment and picked up three weights that weighed several hundred pounds each and started to juggle them. Unorthodox true, but it helped improve both his strength and concentration.

As he started to get into the sway of things Gohan heard the door to his room open. Thinking that Serena had gained permission from her mother to see Gohan (Helped by the fact that servants knocked and his room was avoided by most people) Gohan said out loud "Hi Serena, your mother let you come back?"

The amazement from hearing Queen Serenity's voice say "I beg your pardon?!" Caused Gohan to twist around. Keep in mind that two of the weights were now in mid air directly over Gohan's head. Finally, gravity had its effect and both landed with a thud on top of Gohan's skull.

Gohan fell onto the ground, hearing a cry of shock come from a familiar voice and darkness swirl around him. After a few seconds where he passed from consciousness and back, Gohan saw Serena kneeling just above his face, her expression one of extreme concern "Gohan! Are you alright!?"

Gohan sat up, shook his head and smiled slightly "Yeah I'm fine. I've received worse training with my grandfather." He rose to his feet and stretched his back, clearing out the cobwebs "It just took the wind out of me that's all."

Serena rose from the ground and shouted in Gohan's ear "YOU BIG DOPE! You had me worried there for a minute! I thought you were really hurt!"

Gohan flinched from Serena's shouting and grinned nervously "I'm sorry about that Serena, next time I'll try not to fall over when a large set of weights fall on my head."

Serena paused for a second before rolling her eyes "Very droll Gohan, very droll."

Queen Serenity had watched the two in silence up to now, partly furious as she realised her daughter had met Gohan beforehand without her knowing. But her anger gently diminished when she saw her daughter rush to Gohan's aid and the two had started talking. They actually seemed to be quite close despite Gohan only being here for less than a day "I hate to interrupt." Serenity said with more than a hint of irony "But am I right in thinking that you have met before?"

Gohan, still fairly oblivious to the Queen's prejudices towards him answered "Well your Majesty, after Serena recovered from her illness she came to see me early this morning to make sure I wasn't too upset from the interview."

This answer once again made Queen Serenity pause as she remembered the humiliation Gohan had to go through during that interview and how she could have stopped it… Bringing herself back down to Earth, Serenity realised that in trying to correct the mistakes of her mother, Serena had overcome a hatred that had existed for centuries. Queen Serenity smiled with more than a hint of pride "I'm glad that my daughter was so concerned for you." Serena brightened at this, thinking that she had gotten off the hook "And I would also like to apologise for the conduct of General Cosmos yesterday. I should have stopped it sooner."

Gohan gave a small bow "It's alright your Majesty, you weren't at fault."

Queen Serenity once again marvelled at how Gohan destroyed all her previous beliefs about Saiyans simply by being himself. Queen Serenity returned the bow "I only wish that were true Prince Gohan." She looked around and frowned slightly "Also, how would you feel about being moved to better rooms?"

Gohan's brow wrinkled in confusion and surprise "Better rooms?" He said amazedly "You mean you have better rooms than this?!" Gohan indicated the room with a sweep of his hand "I mean, there's enough room to store all my books, I have a bathroom all to myself and I can finally sleep past dawn without getting woken by someone demanding that I train."

Serenity and Serena gradually began to realise that to someone who wasn't used to the finery of Palace would see even the smallest of rooms as grand places. Serena looked curiously over to the book pile alongside one wall "So you like reading then Gohan?" She asked… rather redundantly.

Gohan nodded and indicated the pile "You can borrow one if you like, the ones in leather are Saiyan books in case you're interested. The really thick ones are the Poems of Heroes."

Serena stopped as she bent down to pick up one of the books and looked at Gohan in puzzlement "Poems?" She asked in surprise.

"Yes. The Great Poetry of Saiyan history."

Serena was actually quite surprised at this. Traditional Moon poetry was concerned with love and metaphors of beauty. She couldn't see Saiyans write poetry about that "So what are these poems like?"

"Why don't you read one of those books and find out?" Queen Serenity quipped "It never hurts for you to do some more studying you know." Serena rolled her eyes and picked up a book entitled _A History of the Saiyans; From Planet Kingdom to Galactic Empire_. While she did so, Serena heard her mother say "Prince Gohan, I hope you don't mind me asking but why are you dressed in such a fashion?"

Gohan looked down and realised he was still showing bare chest. Blushing, he answered "Well I was in the middle of training when you interrupted me, I get too warm when I train in my proper clothes so I just took off my armour and upper gi…"

"So how come you tail's loose and not tied around you waist?" Serena interrupted as she looked up from the book she had picked up from the pile.

Gohan shifted uncomfortably and muttered "Because it tickles if I'm not wearing any upper body clothing." He muttered causing Serena to giggle and Serenity to smile slightly.

Queen Serenity smiled at the young boy, his innocence and charm having made her decide that he would never be a threat. A bell was heard chiming from the clock on top of Gohan's desk, Serenity glanced at it and realised that she needed to be in the War Council with her Generals "It was a great delight to meet you Prince Gohan. I must unfortunately leave you now but would I would like to meet you again. I believe I can organise some time to see you the day after tomorrow."

Gohan beamed and bowed deeply "I'd love to your Majesty." He said.

Serenity nodded "I'll send someone around with details tomorrow and I look forward to it." Queen Serenity turned to leave but quickly turned back to Serena "And I hope you will give yourself time to finish your studies tonight Serena." Serena nodded and watched her mother leave the room, breathing a sigh of relief as she went.

Gohan started to pick up the weights he had dropped saying "Your mother's really nice, I'd…" He stopped as he felt something prod his tail, looking back he saw Serena gently poking the end of his tail with a finger "What are you doing?" He asked.

"What does it look like?" Serena retorted "Ooh, fluffy." She then gave a wicked grin and grabbing the end of the tail, brushed it against Gohan's side, causing him to shout with laughter.

"DON'T DO THAT!" He yelled and dodged to the side, leaving a laughing Serena in his wake "Oh so that's funny is it?" He said "Well how about this?" He suddenly dashed to the side and around Serena, finishing up behind her where he started to tickle her sides.

Serena screamed and jumped forward, turning around as she did so "You realise of course, that this means war." She said and ran straight at the young Saiyan. For the next hour, the room rang out with their laughter.

XxX

Serena was practically skipping through the corridors when she finally left Gohan's room. The all out war had ended in a draw when they had run out of energy and pillows to hit each other with. Serena now clutched the book leant from Gohan which she surprisingly had every intention of reading. And with the other Princesses arriving to prepare for the Ball in two days time, it looked as if everything was going to be brilliant for the celebrations next week.

Serena was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't realise that there was someone right in front of her until she almost bumped into him. Looking up, she was surprised to see General Cosmos stand before her. Before Serena could make a noise, Cosmos made a motion for Serena to be quiet and looked around the corridor they were in. Seeing that there was no one around, Cosmos reached into the pocked of his uniform tunic and pulled out a folded envelope.

Cosmos handed the envelope to Serena muttering "This is from Prince Darien." Serena looked up in shock as Cosmos continued "There are still Kingdoms upon Earth who wish to remain our Ally and Prince Darien is the one leading them. We maintain contact in order to keep organised. Darien himself entrusted me with this letter to give to you and he wants a reply as soon as possible."

Serena gently took the letter and looked at Cosmos. Finding she could only say "Thank you." Serena walked past the General and rushed towards her room.

Cosmos watched as the Princess walked off, hoping he had done the right thing. Doubt was alien to Cosmos and he always made sure that he knew exactly what to do. But he was seriously jeopardizing the chances of restoring peace between the Moon Kingdom and Earth by doing this. By delivering that letter to Princess Serena, Cosmos could be seriously harming Prince Darien's standing upon Earth.

Yet… Had he not sworn an oath to protect and serve the Moon Kingdom and the Royal Family? He had fulfilled that oath for the last thirty years, sacrificing so much for so little and he was not going to abandon that oath now. He was going to serve the Moon Kingdom until his last dying breath. Which, as the days went past, Cosmos feared was coming ever closer…

To be continued…

**Well there's some nice bit of fluff for you G/S fans. Things will heat up after the next few chapters. Also, is this the first chapter that's been solely on the Moon Kingdom? R&R! **


	6. The Five Princesses

A Marriage of Convenience

To those who knew Serena, the thought of her sitting down and reading a book that was designed to educate was laughable. Though many would disagree with the statement that Serena was dumb, the fact remained that she wasn't what you might call a good student. Even the most patient of tutors would agree that Serena needed a lot more enthusiasm in order to succeed in her studies. The book that Serena was reading now however had little to do with her actual studies but was the book Gohan had lent her.

Serena had been reading _A History of the Saiyans: From Planet Kingdom to Galactic Empire _for the last two days. Only the letter from Darien had interrupted her… Serena put the book down on the desk she was sitting by and allowed herself to gaze into the distance as she thought about Prince Darien. They had known each other for over ten years when Darien and his parents had visited the Moon Kingdom on a state visit. At first, he and Serena had gotten on each other's nerves and were constantly at odds.

But as time went on, the two did strike up a friendly relationship that grew as the years passed. When Darien's parents had died four years ago, Serena had been the one person who had been able to keep Darien from spiralling into despair. And, during Serena's fourteenth birthday party, the two had finally admitted their love for another. Darien, at fifteen, had promised to propose to her when he became eighteen and he assumed control of his Kingdom on Earth. But of course, this marriage had ruined everything. For the sake of the Moon Kingdom, Serena would have to sacrifice her love and marry another.

Serena hated what was happening to her. But she had been surprised by the fact that her husband to be had been Gohan. The boy was sweet, kind, intelligent and exceptionally cute (In an 'aww look at him' type of way). Despite that though, it was Darien who owned her heart, Gohan was a good friend but that was all. The letter he had sent actually brought that fact straight to mind. Most of it had been concerned with Darien pledging his love to Serena but there had been one section that had stuck in her mind rather unpleasantly.

"_Serena, I was distraught to hear that you were betrothed to a Saiyan of all things. I do not know if you have met the savage yet but I hope that he will not harm you in any way when you do. I am trying my best to find some way of delaying or even stopping the marriage altogether but it has been all for naught. Please do not give up hope though. There are still those among Earth's leaders who wish to maintain the Alliance with the Moon Kingdom and strike the Saiyan menace from the Central Quadrant forever. We shall do everything we can to do so but in the meantime please do not give up hope…"_

Serena had written back instantly, insisting that Gohan was good and decent and that Darien's prejudices were unfounded. She hoped that Darien would see past the centuries old hatred like her mother had been able to do and accept Gohan for who, not what, he was. But of course, Saiyans had never been held in high regard by the elite classes on Earth, their prejudices stemmed from their constant socialising with the upper classes of the Moon Kingdom.

Serena hoped that one day soon, Darien would come to the Moon Kingdom and he could meet Gohan, so that the two could become friends. Gohan had a way of getting along with people that surprised Serena; he had just had a meeting with Ministers Celeste and Doradus yesterday about both Saiyan and Human culture with Doradus walking away admitting he was distinctly impressed. Such an event had not occurred in the last fifty years of Doradus being both a teacher and a Minister of State. Queen Serenity quipped that she was thinking of putting up a statue in commemoration of the event, confusing Gohan who had yet to learn the meaning of irony.

Putting these thoughts aside for the moment, Serena picked up the book she had previously discarded and began to read once more. The book had been written by a Namek who had travelled throughout the Saiyan Empire, learning all he could about their culture. He had lived in the Empire for ten years accumulating all his knowledge and left before the outbreak of war against the Freezing Empire. The book had been published throughout the Galaxy but only found success throughout the Northern Quadrant where the Saiyans were widely respected. Serena picked up from where she had left off…

"_One of the most fundamental aspects to Saiyan culture has been the establishment of the Five Stations. They are considered each to be a noble and essential aspect to Saiyan society. Since Ancient Times, the Five Stations have been set out thusly;"_

"_The Leader, who guides_

_The Warrior, who defends_

_The Farmer, who provides_

_The Doctor, who heals_

_The Poet, who grants immortality"_

"_It must be said, I was at first surprised when hearing that a poet is considered to be of as high importance as a Warrior or Farmer, both necessary to the Saiyan way of life. But, as my studies continued, it became evident that the emphasis on poets came from not an actual love of the art (Though there was a certain amount of that) but because it was seen that the poet could guarantee a Saiyan would forever be remembered by his people."_

"_The great poems of Saiyan culture concern themselves with the deeds of Saiyans past who have performed outstanding tasks for the Empire. The emphasis on forever being remembered as a great person has led to the poets of the Saiyan Empire becoming some of the wealthiest people in the Galaxy. One such notable example was the poet Pae, who was paid her own weight in gold for her poem of the Saiyan Warrior Sprut. This poem would later go onto to secure Sprut's name as a model Saiyan, even centuries after his death."_

Serena continued to read the book, quite engrossed in it. The Saiyan culture was extremely different to that of the Moon Kingdom. The sheer differences fascinated Serena, she had led a somewhat sheltered life in that the only times she had needed to learn about other cultures was when heads of states came on state visits. The fact that another culture could hold so much depth was a new and pleasant experience to the Princess.

Serena became so occupied by the book that she didn't even notice when there was a knock at the door. Even when the knocking ascended into a furious pounding, Serena was too wrapped up in her reading that she failed to notice. The door finally opened after the pounding stopped and several figures walked through, each heading directly towards Serena.

Now while the most interesting of books may distract a person from noise, touch and the sensation of a thermonuclear bomb, the feeling that someone is reading over your shoulder is enough to distract even the most oblivious of bookworms. Serena picked her head up at the sensation behind her and frowned, before she could turn around however, a hand reached out and turned the page. Serena opened her eyes wide and thought _"She always was the fastest reader out of us…" _Outwardly, Serena said "Nice to see you Ami. Well, part of you anyway."

"Nice to see you know we're here ping-pong head." Came the voice of the Princess of Mars, Rei. Serena twisted around in her chair to see the four Princesses of the Confederation of the Planets standing behind her, bent over so they could see the book clearly. They were Princess Ami of Mercury, Princess Rei of Mars, Princess Lita of Jupiter and Princess Mina of Venus. All were great friends of Serena though Rei in particular liked to irk her by using her nickname 'ping-pong head'.

Mina smiled at the surprised expression on Serena's face "Forgot we were coming today?" She asked. The Princesses of the Planets traditionally gathered when one was to be wed. It stemmed from the idea that the Princess who was to be married would be able to find some solace from her fellow Princesses before she married. All five would stay in the same Palace until a week after the ceremony, after which, they would then return home. In truth, Serena had forgotten their arrival, first Gohan had shown up and Darien's letter, had completely thrown her off from her normal train of thought.

Serena overcame her surprise and smiled widely "Well, of course I knew you were coming, I just got caught up in my studies, that's all." There was a pause as all the other Princesses looked at each other, and then burst out laughing. Serena glared at the four of them, as they shrieked in hysterics, realising her reputation as being a perhaps not being the best student in the Galaxy extended beyond the Palace walls.

Finally, after a few minutes, the laughter subsided and silence returned "Finished?" Serena asked, quite irritated at this point.

"Depends." Rei said "Are you going to make another joke like that one?" Serena stuck her tongue out at Rei while Ami peered over her shoulder and read a few more lines of the book.

"I don't think I've read that one before." Ami said, trying to bend her head so she could read the title.

Serena couldn't help but smile at that, the only books Ami hadn't read on her home planet were either incinerated or didn't exist. She couldn't help but feel slightly smug at the fact she had some knowledge that Ami didn't "It's from the Northern Quadrant, I got it from Gohan."

Amy continued to peer at the book and Serena gave a sigh, handing it over to Amy. Amy instantly opened it and started to devour the words, completely oblivious to everyone else. Mina looked at Serena curiously "So who's Gohan? A new boyfriend? Won't that upset your husband to be?"

As soon as Mina said that, the others instantly started to ask questions they had been dying to know the answers for. Serena struggled to keep up as she was bombarded with a legion of questions.

"What's he like?"

"What's his name?"

"Are Saiyans really as bad as they say?"

"Is it true their tails can shrink so they can pass for Humans?"

"How strong is he? Is it true Saiyans can bend steel with their teeth?"

"How much does he eat?"

"What does he look like?"

"Is he intelligent at all?"

"Does he always wear that armour Saiyans are supposed to wear?"

Serena held up her hands as a way to stop the questions so that she could answer them. When this finally had an effect she gave an answer "Gohan is the name of my husband to be…"

"Isn't Gohan a Human name?" Lita asked, in much the same way Serena had done a few days ago.

Serena nodded and went on "Yes, his mother is a Human and his father is a Saiyan. Actually, why don't you come and meet him? He's just in the garden with mother if you want to speak to him."

The others looked at each other silently and avoided Serena's gaze. Finally, Mina spoke "Are you sure Serena? I mean, he is a Saiyan after all…"

Serena paused as she considered this. In all the time she and the rest of the Princesses had been friends, she had never considered the prejudices they had shared. There had been a few times when they all discussed the myths that were abound about Saiyans but now she had met Gohan, Serena realised how hurtful those myths actually were… Time to make some changes starting from now. Smiling, Serena stood up from her desk and said "Don't be ridiculous Mina; Gohan is one of the sweetest boys you could ever hope to meet. I'll tell you all about him along the way to the garden. Come on!"

Serena practically marched to the front door, followed by the others… Except one "Are you coming Ami?" Serena called out to her friend, with more than a hint of exasperation. Ami looked up startled and, with the book still in her hands, rushed after friends while Serena began talking.

XxX

The more public gardens of the Palace of the Moon Kingdom (That is, the ones the servants could walk at will and were used during Balls) were huge, expansive and carefully attended to. They were also dotted with pagodas at seemingly random intervals though they were placed in order to give the best view of the many types of foliage that were placed throughout the gardens. Currently sat at one were Gohan, clad in a silk shirt and waistcoat with some black trouser and lace less shoes. When he wasn't training, Gohan preferred to where Human clothing, seeing it as a lot more comfortable than what he usually wore. He still had his circlet crown on though, more out of habit than anything though.

The other sat in the pagoda were Queen Serenity and Kami who had wished to join the Queen and Gohan for a conversation. All three were currently sat around a small table in the pagoda, where, a large plate of faiter sat along with several small bowls of choice sauce by it. Out of the three, it was Kami who was eating the most which was surprising considering Nameks usually only needed to drink water. But with his visits to the Moon Kingdom over time, Kami had developed a taste for the stuff.

Unlike poor Gohan who chewed on a leaf of the vegetable while sadly thinking of his mother's roast pork dripping with onion gravy and a tub of rice to go with it… "Is everything alright Prince Gohan?" Queen Serenity asked "If you would like some more faiter because SOMEONE is eating it all…"

Kami glanced up at this and noticed Gohan give a slight whimper. Smiling slightly, he said "I think Prince Gohan wouldn't mind if I ate all the faiter on the Moon." Kami took another leaf and bit into it.

"I, on the other hand, would." Queen Serenity said. She was wearing a long, white dress than shimmered in the light and slipper like shoes. Queen Serenity bit into some faiter and turned to Gohan "Is there anything you would like Prince Gohan?"

Gohan resigned himself to his fate and finished off the leaf, shaking his head "No thank you your Majesty. Has there been any word concerning the transport ship from Vegeta?" Since diplomatic relationships had started again between the Saiyan Empire and Moon Kingdom, a single transport ship for trade and other items had begun to travel between the two. Gohan was eagerly looking forward to the transport ship's arrival since he knew a letter from his parents would be on it. The fact that he was only able to communicate his parents through an irregular period of time depressed Gohan a considerable amount.

Queen Serenity shook her head "I'm afraid not Gohan, all I can tell you is that the earliest the transport will come back is two weeks." Gohan nodded glumly, he had only taken five days to get to the Moon from Vegeta but the transport wasn't a first class military space craft now was it? As if to take his mind off things, Queen Serenity asked "Are you looking forward to the Ball in three days?"

Gohan was dragged out of his thinking when he remembered the Ball "Um… yes I guess… But I don't know what to do at a Ball; I've never been to one."

"Always smile, get to the buffet table before everyone else and try to avoid looking too bored." Kami said flatly. Having been to several Balls in his lifetime, his view of them were rather more cynical than the average socialite.

Queen Serenity gave Kami a quick glare before turning back to Gohan "Kami's views on Balls have been tainted since his run in with the Duchess of Jokai and a plate of prawns…"

"Those prawns had it coming to them..." Kami muttered under his breath.

Queen Serenity went on, ignoring Kami "The main thing to remember is that you just have polite conversation."

"Will they have polite conversation with me though?" At that question, Gohan allowed his tail to unwrap from his waist and indicated it with his hand, leaving no doubt to what he meant."

Queen Serenity paused at this, over the last few days, Gohan had begun to come to terms with the prejudice against him and although it sometimes got to him, he tried to rise above it. Queen Serenity finally replied with a small amount of sadness in her voice "There will be representatives from the Northern Quadrant at the Ball. You should find some who will not prejudice against you because of you're bloodline."

Needless to say, this didn't make Gohan feel all that better. Kami interrupted by saying "The Northern Quadrant? You don't mean that _he'll _be there, do you?"

"Yes, _he_ will." Serenity said sharply. Before Gohan could ask who _he _was exactly, a small cough came from behind them. They turned to see a servant holding a small piece of paper.

"A message has just come from Namek your Majesty." The servant said and held the piece of paper out so the Queen could take it.

Queen Serenity turned to Kami who nodded and then to Gohan, saying "Would you mind excusing us Prince Gohan?" Gohan nodded as both Queen Serenity and Kami stood up and walked off the pagoda and onto the path a good way away. They took the note and dismissed the servant before reading the note he had left behind. When they were out of ear shot, Gohan let out an almighty yawn.

The extreme change of diet had left Gohan feeling tired a lot more often than usually was and as a result, he had to take an hour's nap along with his regular sleep in order for him to keep energised. As Queen Serenity and Kami walked off, Gohan felt his eyes droop and his head nodded downwards. Within seconds, he was snoring lightly.

Down the path, Queen Serenity and Kami were pouring over the message;

"_Disturbing events in the Central and Southern Quadrants have come to our attention. An ambassador will arrive on the Moon by next month. We hope that we can assist in your struggle against the Dark Kingdom."_

Queen Serenity found herself pleasantly surprised at this. Politically, it was the best news she'd had in months. Turning to Kami, she said "What do you think of this Kami?"

"It's definitely good news… To an extent. I wonder though what made my people abandon their neutrality though…" A sudden and horrible thought struck Kami. The only thing that could ever bring the Nameks out of their neutrality would be the discovery of their greatest secret _"They couldn't possibly know about them… Could they?"_

Queen Serenity overlooked Kami's downbeat attitude and went on "Regardless of motive, I'm relieved that the Nameks are at least giving us nominal support. Do you have any ideas on who the ambassador might be?"

Kami shrugged "There are various candidates but I couldn't really say who it would…" Kami stopped as he peered forward and squinted further down to the entrance of the garden "Is that a rainbow coming towards us?" He muttered sardonically.

Queen Serenity glanced over to where Kami was looking and smiled wryly. Kami was in fact referring to the Princesses of the Planets who were all walking towards the pagoda. Each was wearing a coloured dress that indeed contrasted with the flowers of the garden. Serena with her white dress, Ami wearing a dark blue, Rei clad in scarlet, Lita was wearing an emerald dress and Mina was clad an bright yellow dress. When they were walking side by side, it did indeed give an affect of a miniature rainbow. Serena was slightly ahead of the rest, chatting amiably "… He's also really intelligent and… Oh, hello mother."

Queen Serenity nodded at the Princesses, giving them a smile "Hello Serena, I'm glad to see that you and the Princesses have gotten together. I apologise I was unable to meet you when you arrived but I was attending to affairs of state. Are you here for a walk around the garden?"

Serena shook her head "Actually we're here to see Gohan, is he still here with you?"

Kami looked back over his shoulder and over the pagoda "Technically not." He said. Everyone followed his gaze and saw the young Saiyan slumbering peacefully.

"Aww he's so adorable!" Mina squealed, causing much eye rolling from her friends and an odd look from Kami "Should we wake him up?"

"Don't bother." Serena said flatly "It's best to just let him wake up by himself."

Queen Serenity arched an eyebrow but let the matter drop "Well, since you're here, would you care for some faiter?" This was greeted with enthusiasm and all of them gathered around the table, eating the faiter and forgetting all their troubles as they sat and talked. When Gohan would wake up, he was pleased by the new company and somewhat relieved that every last speck of faiter had been eaten.

XxX

General Cosmos was forever a busy man. With no family to call his own, the military was his entire life and he had given everything for it. Now, as Head Marshall of the Moon Kingdom's military forces, he devoted every effort to assure that the Moon Kingdom would be safe and secure. Practically every decision concerning military manoeuvres was made in his office which he was sat in now, from the lowliest battalion to the most esteemed regiment.

But it wasn't just military aspects that concerned Cosmos now…

He looked down onto his desk and the letter Princess Serena had given him to deliver. A tiny part of him was urging that he open the letter and use it to copy Serena's handwriting, using the contact to manipulate the relationship between Serena and Darien to better ends than young love. With such influence over the two, Cosmos knew he'd almost certainly be able to bring the Moon Kingdom back to its proper place as an ally of Earth and destroy the encroaching Saiyan influence.

But to do so would mean a betrayal of everything he had fought for these last thirty years. If he betrayed the Princess's trust then he would be no better than other traitors in the Moon Kingdom's past, the Saiyans included. With a sigh, Cosmos picked the letter up and deposited it in his jacket pocket. He was lucky to do so, for a knock came at his door just afterwards "Enter." Cosmos barked.

A Corporal walked through the door hastily, stopped before the desk, saluted and handed Cosmos an envelope "Dispatch sir," He said "Word from one of our outposts on the Southern Quadrant. They say they've seen suspicious movement from various Dark Kingdom positions, they want permission to attacks sir."

Cosmos looked up "Are they mad? We have no reinforcements to give them. We can't afford another loss now. Who asked for permission to attack?"

"Colonel Aurora sir, she feels that the Dark Kingdom would be over confident…"

Cosmos cut him off instantly "Send word to Aurora that she's relieved of command and is to return to the Moon Kingdom instantly. We can not afford to risk losing in another disaster simply because one of my officers has a feeling. My men come before any gamble corporal." Cosmos then turned down to his desk and started to read some files. He glanced up after a minute and said "You still here Corporal? I believe I gave you an order."

The Corporal blanched and saluted "Yes sir!" He said and practically fled from the room. Cosmos didn't even bother to look as he left, concentrating all his energies on the work before him.

To be continued…

**Well now I've brought the Nameks into it, you can't say I'm not bringing many different elements into this fanfic… Well you can but you'd be wrong (Possibly). And I have to admit, I'm having a lot of fun inventing the different aspects of the various cultures involved in this. And props to Den Scurman who saw what I'm trying to do with Cosmos (Hands Den virtual chocolate digestive). Anyway, enjoy and R&R! **


	7. The Ball

A Marriage of Convenience

It is a common phrase amongst Humans that when a person gets incredibly nervous,they experience a fluttering experience in the stomach and loss of appetite. Such a feeling is called 'having butterflies in the stomach' and is quite common when facing stressful situations. Saiyans however, had for the last several centuries lived on stressful feelings and didn't get butterflies anywhere. The nearest time that a Saiyan got close to nervousness was when realising that perhaps attacking an army numbering 10,000 all by yourself probably wasn't the best of ideas.

Gohan however, as part Human, didn't just feel like there were butterflies in his stomach but they had invited several ant colonies and a tap dancing millipede to liven things up. He was about to make his entrance into the Ballroom where the elite classes of the Moon and Northern Quadrant were gathering. Protocol dictated that as a Prince of Earth, Gohan would be one of the first to be introduced, after the Monarchs of the Solar System but before various other dignitaries. Queen Serenity and Princess Serena were already in the Ballroom, along with the other Princesses.

Gohan felt his heart jump sharply as he walked to the large double doors that lead to the Ballroom and the servant at the door called out "His Highness, Prince Gohan of the Ox Kingdom!" Gohan walked up to the entrance and was greeted with the sight of dozens of Heads of State looking at him curiously. As the Ox Kingdom lacked any kind of traditional dress that was customary on such occasions, Gohan had decided to wear his Saiyan armour over his blue uniform and the Circlet Crown of the Ox Kingdom around his head.

Gohan took a deep breath and started to walk down the steps thinking _"If I fall down and break my neck, I will never hear the end of it." _Thankfully however, he got to the bottom of the stairs unscathed. Looking around, Gohan allowed himself to be taken in by the sight of the Ballroom. It was cavernous, flags of dozens of Worlds hung from the ceiling along with streams of silver fabric. Three sets of glass double doors opened out over the gardens which themselves were lit by dozens of bright lanterns. At the end of the Ballroom, Gohan saw a large table strewn with plates covered with food and several metres away from that, a several dozen strong orchestra played some calming music. Remembering Kami's advice, Gohan made straight for it as behind him, the servant introduced the next guest.

As "Emperor Vir III of Centurai!" Rang out through the hall, Gohan made his way to the buffet table and found Kami was already there, sipping on a glass of water. Though Gohan seemed oblivious to it, Kami saw that the young boy was getting a few curious glances from the rest of the royalty. Kami gave Gohan a friendly nod; the Namek was clad in fine white robes that went down to his feet with his martial arts symbol emblazoned in red across his chest.

Gohan looked past Kami onto the table containing the food and groaned slightly. Since the Ball was being held on the Moon, they had the choice of cuisine. This meant faiter, lots and lots of faiter. Kami chuckled at Gohan's expression "I'm sorry Gohan, perhaps when you're invited to a Ball held by the Saiyans…"

"Saiyans don't have Balls." Gohan said innocently and with a certain amount of sadness.

Kami blinked "Pardon?"

"Saiyans don't have diplomatic meetings like these. It's considered good manners to meet someone face to face. A large amount of people is only for when there's something big to celebrate. So, Saiyans don't have Balls… Are you alright?"

Kami coughed "Yes, yes I'm fine. I just begin to making snorting sounds that sound suspiciously like laughter occasionally. It's a Namek thing." Gohan, thankfully, swallowed the lie and turned to the entrance of the ballroom as "Emperor Sigmar of Reikland!" Rang out through the room.

The Five Princesses had met up by this point, having previously been talking with the other Royalty of the Central Quadrant. All five wore long loose gowns in their usual colour co-ordination. Mina smiled broadly at Gohan when they approached him and Kami. "Can you believe it?" She said excitedly "Pretty much half of the Northern Quadrant's Royalty has come to this Ball. It's going to be a great night!"

The other Princesses started to voice their agreement and started to talk amongst themselves about who they'd like to meet and talk to during the Ball, leaving Gohan and Kami to talk to themselves again. This was remedied by Queen Serenity, who was wearing a long silver flowing ball gown, walking to the group from her previous conversation with the King of Mars and smiling at Kami "I'm glad that everything has gone so well, what do you think of it so far?"

Kami nodded slightly "Well all the guests have turned up and we've yet too have a declaration of war from anyone. Much more dull than usual…" Queen Serenity gave Kami an exasperated look and shook her head.

She then turned to Gohan "And what about you Prince Gohan? Is this anything like the Balls held on Vegeta?"

"Saiyans don't have…" Gohan started but was quickly interrupted by Kami.

"Such large diplomatic meetings. A more personal approach is preferred." Kami said quickly and smoothly. Gohan gave Kami a puzzled look which he chose to ignore "Your Majesty, has there been any further word from Namek concerning the Ambassador?"

Queen Serenity shook her head "Not as of yet, though word has reached me that he will be here in two weeks time. I believe that the Namek High Council may also be using its influence in the Northern Quadrant to bring more Worlds to our side."

Kami smiled "Yes, I've heard such reports myself. I'm thankful that the High Council realises the threat the Dark Kingdom poses." Inwardly, Kami felt himself cringe at those words. His already strong suspicions were almost confirmed by Serenity's words _"If the High Council are using their influence to bring the entire Northern Quadrant to our side than the Dark Kingdom must know about them… But how?" _

Kami was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that Queen Serenity turned to Gohan and asked "And what how do you think the Ball is going so far?" The question drew Gohan away from the entrance to the Ballroom where a blue haired Empress and her daughter had just arrived…

"It looks really interesting with all the different people around. But I'm worried about messing up…"

His humility made Queen Serenity smile "Don't worry Gohan; I'm sure you'll do fine. All who have been invited are cultured, calm and well mannered…"

"His Excellency, Rufus T. Firefly of Freedonia." The servant called out.

"Apart from him." Kami muttered darkly as the President of Freedonia descended the stairs and seeing the buffet table, made a beeline towards it. Kami tried to quickly move out of the President's way but was held in place by Queen Serenity, who smiled pleasantly at the approaching President. Gohan raised an eyebrow at the President's appearance, a rather cheap suit and tie, a large black cigar protruding from his mouth which did little to hide his huge black moustache and frizzy black hair. Only a bright red sash showed any sign of rank.

Queen Serenity smiled as the President approached "Your Excellency…" She began.

"You don't look too bad yourself." Firefly cut in. Noticing Gohan for the first time, Firefly pulled out a pack of cards and held them out in front of the Prince "Here kid, you like magic? Pick a card, any card."

Gohan hesitated in confusion before reaching out and gently pulling out a card, the Ace of Spades "What shall I do with it?" Gohan asked, curious to see where this was going.

"Keep it; I've got fifty one more." Firefly said and deposited the rest of the cards back in his pocket. Gohan's brow creased in confusion as Firefly turned to Kami "So any new business?"

Kami resigned himself to an evening of comments for the sake of diplomacy and breathed outwardly "Well the Namek High Council…"

"That's old business." Firefly cut in "You shouldn't have paused."

Kami gaped at the man and found himself speechless. Gohan walked over to where Ami was standing and muttered "Is that guy always like this?"

Ami nodded "I don't know how, but he always seems to get away with it as well. I think Queen Serenity has a 'thing' for him… Oh this should be good." Gohan glanced over to where Ami had motioned and saw General Cosmos approaching, clad in his formal military uniform. Gohan inexplicably found himself feeling as if he was going to enjoy the next few minutes…

Cosmos stopped beside Serena and said "Your Highness I… Oh no not you." Cosmos said the last bit as he saw Firefly for the first time. His mortification at seeing Firefly making him forget all about diplomatic decorum for the minute.

Firefly grinned at Cosmos's expression and walked up to him "Hey there what's-your-name…"

"I'm surprised you've forgotten my name after what happened last time we met." Cosmos said bitterly.

Firefly peered at Cosmos before clicking his fingers in recognition "Of course, you're Cosmos ain't you? Normally I never forget a face but in your case, I was happy to make an exception."

Cosmos glared at the President "My title is General Cosmos your Excellency. I would be grateful if you would show me the proper respect by addressing me by it." Cosmos actually said all that through gritted teeth.

Firefly actually looked somewhat affronted at that "Why Cosmos, I have nothing but respect for you, and not a lot of that."

Cosmos's eyes bulged in outrage "I will not stand here and take these insults!"

Firefly shrugged "In that case, leave in a huff. If that's too soon, leave in a minute and a huff." Gohan finally succumbed to temptation and let out a giggle along with Ami and even Kami gave a smirk. Gohan also noticed that Serena kept her face carefully blank.

Cosmos's left eye started to twitch and his hands clenched. Rather than have anymore abuse hurled at him, Cosmos turned to Serena and said "Your Highness, would you please join me in the garden for a brief conversation?" Serena nodded slightly and followed General Cosmos out of the Ballroom and to the Gardens.

Queen Serenity smiled sweetly at Firefly and Kami "I believe you two should meet a close Ally of the Moon Kingdom…" Clasping both by the arm gently, Queen Serenity led the two away from the table and into the throng of people. Gohan turned to talk to Ami only to see her and the rest of the Princesses heading walking off to talk to some quite handsome looking Princes. Feeling quite left out, Gohan looked around the Ballroom, feeling somewhat dejected.

XxX

The Gardens were beautiful in the evening light and the various lanterns hung upon the sides of the pagodas. There were few people around at the moment as most of the guests were still in the Ballroom and the servants were attending to other duties. Princess Serena and General Cosmos walked side by side in silence; Serena in particular was uncomfortable standing next to Cosmos. For her, the General had always been a stern and unapproachable figure, quick to condemn and hard to please. But now the man was actually helping her in her relationship with Prince Darien. Serena would have probably been less confused if she could have found someone to explain the phrase 'real politik' to her.

When Cosmos had become satisfied that they were out of earshot, he placed his hand into his jacket pocket and withdrew a plain white envelope. Handing it over to Serena, Cosmos said in a low voice "Here is another letter from Prince Darien. I hope all is well between you two."

Serena found herself nodding as she clutched onto the letter as if her life depended on it "Did you get to see him at all?" She said quietly, hoping for any news about her beloved.

Cosmos shook his head "I'm afraid not, the way the letters are sent are so that it would be impossible for us to meet face to face and thus incriminate ourselves." Cosmos gave the Gardens another quick look before continuing "There is another matter that requires your attention your Highness."

"Oh, and what is that?"

"Matters concerning the well being of you and your mother."

Serena gave Cosmos a confused look "What are you talking about?"

Cosmos sighed sadly "I'm talking about the Celestial Senshi." Cosmos really didn't want to do it. He had hoped that the Princess would have never have had to claim this incredible responsibility. But, alas, things were not meant to be. Cosmos continued over Serena's look of shock "I was planning to petition the Queen about the issue sometime during the week and request that your training should start immediately. But I realise that such a matter should be passed before you first…" Cosmos paused as he watched Serena and tried to gauge her reaction.

Serena herself was amazed at the suggestion. The idea of her and the other Princesses forming the Celestial Senshi was amazing and actually quite frightening. The Celestial Senshi was the stuff of legends. The Royal Families of the Planets had, since contact between the Planets begun, been the focus of great magical energy, the Princesses and Queens especially. Whenever the Planets had been threatened by an incredible dark power, various members of the Royalty had bound together in order to use the natural magic of the Planets to fight. It was always the Moon Royalty who took on the leadership of the Senshi, reflecting the extreme amount of magical power the Moon could wield.

With Cosmos's suggestion, Serena realised the threat the Dark Kingdom actually posed. While aware of what was happening in the Southern Quadrant, it had always seemed far away to Serena. But with Cosmos's proposal, Serena now knew how deadly serious things had become; the Senshi was only formed in the most dire of circumstances "What about Ami, Rei, Mina and Lita? Have you asked them?"

Cosmos shook his head "You needed to be contacted above the rest. The leadership of a member of the Moon's Royal Family is the most necessary part of the Celestial Senshi." Cosmos watched Serena's face, full of regret and hope at the same time. Regret, in that he had now put the idea of the Senshi into Serena's mind and possibly exposed her to danger. Hope, in that if Serena did accept, the Moon Kingdom would gain strength against this colossal threat.

Serena thought deeply, not wanting to make the wrong decision regarding this issue. On the one hand, the thought of actually entering in combat against the Dark Kingdom terrified her quite a lot. On the other, Serena knew that the Moon Kingdom was in deep trouble, the marriage to Gohan exposed that. Realising that the concerns of the Moon Kingdom came before her own fears, Serena relented "I'll do it, but on two conditions."

"And what are those?" Cosmo could barely keep the relief out of his voice.

"The first condition is that the others are told before we go to my mother. I don't want them thinking I've gone behind their back about this."

Cosmos nodded "Very well, and the second condition?"

Serena looked at Cosmos with hope etched across her face "Organise a meeting between me and Prince Darien." She practically begged "I need to see him face to face at least once before the Wedding."

Cosmos paused at this. It was dangerous but not entirely unexpected, he merely nodded in response and said "I'll do what I can but it'll be dangerous and will take a while before it can be done."

Serena nodded at this, hope and gratitude showing in her eyes, an expression which reminded of Cosmos when he also had… But that wasn't important now. Motioning his head towards the Ballroom, he said "Perhaps we should head back before all the faiter has been eaten." Serena nodded and she walked back to the Ballroom, Cosmos following behind her.

XxX

At first, Gohan was unsure about how to dance, having never come across the stiff and proper waltz before. Saiyan dancing was a lot more aggressive, the moves resembled fighting techniques and sped up until either the musicians became to stiff to play or the dancers dropped from exhaustion. The waltz, was actually proving surprisingly easy to Gohan, it didn't hurt that his partner was a rather competent dancer herself.

The Princess was short, even more so than Gohan, slightly younger as well. She wore the traditional blue-green dress of her home World, similar to the kimono of Earth, had oddly coloured pink eyes and incredibly long, light blue hair that was tied up in two pigtails that went down to her lower back. Gohan found her personality to be bright, pleasant and very positive. Sadly her name reminded Gohan of a certain type of sausage that he was fond of but because of the Moon Kingdom's peculiar dietary habits, he was unable to obtain "How am I doing?" He asked as the two rotated around smoothly.

"You're doing great!" The young girl said brightly "Just remember to keep in time to the music. You don't have to be so fast you know."

"Oh right, thanks Sasami." Gohan said blushing. The two continued to dance for a few beats while Gohan adjusted his speed, the young Saiyan finally worked up the courage to ask "So, what's Jurai like?"

Sasami beamed at the question "It's great! There's so much stuff to do and things to see, only last week I was with my sister who's getting married to this noble named Tenchi who's really a bit of a soft touch but my sister likes him all the same and she keeps trying to get Tenchi to like her just as much as she likes him. Anyway as I was saying, last week…"

Gohan felt his jaw drop slightly as the words flew out o Sasami's mouth. He glanced over to the buffet table and wondered how much sugar actually went into those chocolates… His musings were interrupted by Sasami finishing off "… And so now we have to buy all new furniture for the Summer Palace. And what's Planet Vegeta like? How was your life there?"

Gohan paused as he considered the various answers that sprang to mind. Knowing that saying he was routinely bullied and shunned would hardly help the mood, Gohan instead opted for "It was… tough. I was always pushed to be the best because of who my father was. I always hoped that I could just get away from the pressure, have some fun and just relax…"

Sasami looked at Gohan with a large amount of concern in her eyes "And are you able to relax and have fun now?"

Gohan smiled slightly "Yeah definitely. Have you met Princess Serena at all? She's a really nice person."

Sasami grinned a mischievous grin and said "Is she as nice as me Gohan?"

Gohan thought about this for a moment "Well it's hard to say since I've only known you for a few minutes while I've known Serena for several days now but you do seem to be just as nice."

Sasami gave Gohan was an odd mixture of amusement, confusion, annoyance and endearment. Finally, the young girl grinned "You really don't know when you're being teased, do you Gohan?"

Gohan's brow knotted in confusion "You were teasing me?"

Princess Sasami rolled her eyes and gave a giggle "You're sweet." The statement caused Gohan to blush furiously. At that point, the music finished and the two stopped in their dancing. They paused and looked at each other as light; polite applause was directed at the orchestra. Blushing ever so slightly, Sasami turned her face down slightly but looked up to Gohan's face with her eyes "Prince Gohan," She said rather shyly "Would you like to…"

Sasami's words were cut off by a voice coming from beside the two "Sasami," The two turned to see Empress Misaki III of Jurai, Sasami's mother "Could you come and have a word with me?" Sasami looked confused but nodded anyway before giving Gohan a brief wave and walking away with her mother.

Gohan watched on, feeling very depressed. Though it had come from an entirely different race than his own, the tone that the Empress used when speaking to Sasami mirrored the tone he had heard throughout his life. He remembered a particular incident when he was six when he had met a Saiyan girl named Parlee. They had gotten on together and played for about an hour before Parlee's mother had found them, taking Parlee away. Gohan remembered that the tone of suppressed fury and disgust was exactly the same tone Empress Misaki had just used when talking around Gohan, not even bothering to acknowledge his presence.

Realising that he would almost certainly never see Sasami during the night, (Or ever again for that matter) Gohan walked out of the Ballroom and out onto the Gardens. It was night now and there were several people dotted around the place, deep in conversation. Looking around, Gohan saw Kami sat by himself in a pagoda, sipping a glass of water. Happy to see a friendly face, Gohan walked up to the elderly Namek "Having a good time?" Gohan asked.

Kami smiled slightly "So long as Firefly is out of my way and in Cosmos's then I'm fine. And how about you?" The question came with a tone of concern.

Gohan paused at this before answering "I'm actually… not good at all." He slumped down onto a chair beside Kami "I've just met Princess Sasami for Jurai, do you know her?"

Kami nodded "I've met her and she's a nice girl. Odd family though, especially that sister of hers…"

Gohan nodded, not really listening. When a person vents their frustration, they're not interested in what someone else has to say "I've just danced with her and we were getting on really well when her mother interrupted us…" Gohan gave out a sigh which had a hint of a sob in it "It's just like being back on Vegeta, only it's because I'm a Saiyan that nobody likes me here…"

Kami frowned at that "Gohan, you know that isn't true. You have friends here including myself."

Gohan nodded slightly, showing that he conceded that point at least "Yeah but it's only you guys and my family who've really made friends with me. Every other time I've tried to make a friend, I've always, _always_ been rejected because I was a weak Human. Now I'm being rejected because I'm a barbaric Saiyan." Gohan covered his face with his hands and said in a voice leaden with sadness "Sometimes I wish… I just wish my parents had been completely Human or completely Saiyan. Then I could have at least have had half a chance at a normal life."

Kami paused at this, unsure of how to comfort Gohan. He had travelled the entire span of the Galaxy and had experienced more in his lifetime than entire generations. But when confronted by a young boy who was almost crushed with the prejudice aimed at him, Kami was at a complete loss at what to do. Turning towards him, Gohan gave a bitter smile, as if reading Kami's thoughts "I'll be OK. I just get into these states once in a while. I just need some time by myself really."

Taking the hint, Kami reluctantly rose from is seat, pausing to say "I know that you are feeling depressed and upset now but remember that you will always have support from the Queen, me and the Princesses." Gohan nodded showing he understood and Kami walked away, deeply regretting he was unable to do anything for the troubled boy.

XxX

Serena yawned loudly, barely even bothering to cover her mouth. It was now nearing midnight and after nearly four hours of dancing and conversation, she was exhausted. Next to her stood Ami who was almost asleep on her feet and on the other side sat Luna who at least looked half awake and aware of where she was. All three were standing next to a set of the double doors that led to the Gardens. When Serena felt her head nod down slightly, Luna's voice called out teasingly "I think it's high time you were in bed Princess Serena."

"Mrrrh…" Serena groaned, actually agreeing with Luna for once "Where are Lita, Mina and Rei? I thought they were right here?"

"Serena, they went to bed about ten minutes ago." Ami mumbled through her tiredness "I agreed that I should stay and make sure you would get to bed alr…" Ami's head drooped and she stopped her sentence part of the way through.

Serena smiled a little at Ami's tiredness before her eyes started to close once more. She, along with the rest of the Princesses had spent most of the evening in the company of some quite handsome and charming Princes. Serena's feet were aching from all the dancing she had done and she rather regretted at those Princes leaving so soon. She was especially annoyed that one of them seemed more concerned about finding an 'Avatar' than spending time with her. Serena was quite confused as to why the Prince would want a pilot at this time of night anyway…

"Wow, you look as bad as I feel." Came a wry voice. Serena turned around and saw Gohan, smiling sadly at her.

Ami suddenly jolted her head up "Oh hello Gohan," She said quietly "I've got something her for you." Ami pulled off something she had attached to her dress by placing it carefully between a sapphire brooch and her dress. She handed it over to Gohan who held it in his hand, it was a small cylinder made of wood. On one end of the cylinder there was a small, yet intricate pattern of a mighty tree. Ami smiled at Gohan's confused expression "It's a gift from Princess Sasami." She explained "She also told me to tell you not to tell her mother about it." Ami gave a small shrug showing that whatever Sasami meant, she would wait until morning to find out.

Gohan was actually surprised at this seeming inconsequential gift "What is it?" He asked.

Luna had been peering at the cylinder as well and answered in a curious voice "It appears to be the Royal Crest of Jurai on the base." She explained "If you stamp the Crest on any letter heading to the Jurai Royal Family, it will go straight to them, without going through any security procedures. It's only meant for the most important of state letters."

"_Or to send letters to a new friend…" _ Gohan thought, his spirits suddenly lifted out of their mire. He smiled as he deposited the seal into his pocket "Well," He said "I think it's bed time."

The others nodded in agreement and started to walk past the remaining guests of the Ball to the stairs which would lead them to their beds. At the top of the stairs, Serena suddenly stopped and glared at Gohan "What did you mean by saying I looked bad?" She demanded. Gohan realised that he probably wasn't going to get to bed _quite _yet…

To be continued…

**Some notes on this chapter:**

**1: I apologise to the spirit of Groucho Marx who will almost certainly kick my arse when we meet in the Afterlife. Sorry Groucho, but the thought of you running amok in one of my fanfics was too much to resist…**

**2: Kudos to all those who spotted the various cameos dotted here and there. I'll post a full list in the next chapter if you like.**

**3: Don't expect Sasami to play a major role in the story from this point on. It was only something I felt would be nice to put in, as I reckon Sasami and Gohan would make a rather cute couple.**

**4: The reason I've changed the name of the Sailor Senshi to the Celestial Senshi was the same reason I changed the title of Super Saiyan to Ascended Saiyan. They both sounded a little campy… And I realise the irony of saying anything from a Magical Girl anime is too campy. **

**I think that's all for now, just remember to read and review!**


	8. The Subject of Sects

A Marriage of Convenience

Magic, as is widely known, is a tricky element to master. It is as mysterious and as old as the Universe itself, with just as many secrets. Throughout history, some of the greatest minds have tried to understand it to a much greater extent than they already do. Magic is both at the same time wonderful and terrible, able to heal or destroy entirely.

So why time and time again ancient civilisations (Who are supposedly completely rational and all wise) entrust great magical power to people who are still feeling the after effects of puberty remains one of the greatest questions of the Galaxy.

Serena scowled in concentration and small beads of sweat formed on her forehead. This was her first time at trying to use magic and she was determined to give it her all. The focus of her concentration lay in a small brooch tied by a red band tight around her neck in the shape of a heart. It was an ancient jewel, forged long ago by the first King of the Moon to tap into the magical energies of his domain and use such power to protect it. It had been passed on from generation to the next, used to counter any threat against the Moon Kingdom that conventional means were unable to.

"That's it Serena, concentrate solely on using the energy in the brooch." Came the voice of Serena's mother and sounds of encouragement came from the other Princesses. They were standing in a large hall that was out of the way from the major complex of the Palace and was perfect for training purposes. Though while lacking the size of the Ballroom or Throne Room, the hall was decorated lavishly regardless. The ceiling in particular was home to a brilliantly painted mural of a vibrant garden. It had once been a well used dining room but different tastes of different Monarchs and general forgetfulness made sure it was now rather neglected.

Away from those descriptions, Serena was now beginning to feel the full force of the magic flowing through her and with a shout, she released some of it and all in her vision went white. Sheer magical energy flowed through and along her body, Serena gasped at the sensation she felt and wondered if this would happen to her every time she used the power of the Moon…

After several seconds (Though it felt much longer) the light faded and Serena looked down on herself. To her complete surprise, her clothes had changed completely. Where she had been wearing her usual silver dress, she was now wearing a rather outlandish costume and holding a short white sceptre that was tipped with a heart and feather design in her hands. A short skirt with a vibrant yellow surrounded by black and red at the hems, a top with short pink sleeves puffed up. Long white gloves with white bands at the tops and wrists. A white top with a black collar going around her neck and across her chest, a second golden brooch surrounded by a symmetrical feather pattern.

Serena gasped at the transformation that had happened and turned slightly, hearing a rustle and twisted around to see a pair of wings attached to her back, they bore than a passing to resemblance to the wings of an Angel. A cold sensation on her forehead made Serena pull her hand up and touch a small Crescent shape etched onto her forehead, she would later find out it was made from gold. Turning to her friends and mother, she sheepishly asked "How do I look?"

The other Princesses looked distinctly impressed and Queen Serenity's mouth was opened in an 'O' of surprise "My… word." She said breathlessly, causing Serena to worry slightly.

"I did do everything alright didn't I mother?"

Queen Serenity snapped out of her shock and brought herself back from whatever plane of thought she had been occupying "Yes you did fine Serena, even more so than that actually." Serena gave her mother a puzzled look, prompting Queen Serenity to continue "The uniform you are currently dressed in denotes the power that has been granted to you through the brooch. The more elaborate the uniform, the greater the power is denoted."

There was a pause as the information was processed by the Princesses with Serena preening herself in a somewhat arrogant way. She had this much power on her first try? Let the Dark Kingdom come and she would… she would… she would put much thought into what she would do that's for certain. The silence was broken by Rei who asked "Why's that exactly?"

"Pardon?"

"Why did the uniforms become more elaborate with the increase in power? Seems a bit pointless if you ask me." Even with the Queen of the Moon, Rei was ever frank and to the point.

Queen Serenity shrugged slightly "The first King of the Moon was a rather traditional military thinker. The thought was that the greater the power, the great the rank. The greater the rank, the greater the design of the uniform."

Ami frowned in thought at that comment "Wasn't the first King of the Moon killed in battle after his enemies recognised him from his rainbow coloured helmet?"

Queen Serenity's face became very blank suddenly "I said he was a traditional military thinker. Not a great one." A few giggles were heard and Queen Serenity allowed herself a smile "Disregarding the history lesson for the moment, I want you to now concentrate on the magic again. This time, try to make it form a physical entity in your hands."

Serena nodded, placed her hands out before her and closed her eyes once more, finding it easier to concentrate when she couldn't see Rei pulling faces at her. Felling the magic flowing once again, Serena concentrated hard, using her thoughts to bring forth the power in the air around her and focus in her hands. After a long pause, Serena felt a warmth caress her hands that hadn't been there before. Opening her eyes slightly, Serena gazed upon a sphere of pure white magical energy that glowed brightly.

Queen Serenity was amazed by this display of strength by her daughter. In one afternoon, she had reached the stage the Queen Serenity herself had taken three years to achieve. Could her daughter really be that powerful? It seemed amazing but then again, Serena had proven herself to be full of surprises before. Smiling proudly, Queen Serenity said "Now Serena, I want you to let the ball…"

"Let it fly? Whatever you say mother!" Serena said, so wrapped up in her own enthusiasm that she failed to listen to the end of her mother's sentence. Drawing her arms back, Serena then flung them and the energy straight in front of her to the double doors which made the entrance to the room. The energy flew straight and true, colliding with the doors and ripping them apart as if they were paper. There was no explosion as expected as the energy had just vaporised the doors completely from existence.

Everyone goggled at what had just happened, Serena especially as she realised that she probably made something of a boo-boo. Smiling nervously, Serena turned around and gave a somewhat shrill laugh "Looks like I got a bit carried away…"

Nobody said anything in reply and Queen Serenity looked dumbfounded at what had just happened. Serena had obliterated a set of door three times as tall as the average Human and she wasn't even out of breath. Queen Serenity found herself actually wondering how her daughter could possibly have so much power when she had only just started to use magic. Could it be that Serena was one of the few people who were actually able to tap into the very magic that dwelt within the Moon itself? Most were only able to access the magic that was in the atmosphere around them.

Taking a breath to calm her thoughts, Queen Serenity made a mental note to read the ancient records of the Moon Kingdom to remind her of when such events had taken place before. Nodding at her daughter, Queen Serenity said "That was very good Serena, I think now though that perhaps someone else could volunteer to try and harness their power."

The rest of the Princesses took their turns one by one to try their hand at controlling their magic. Their transformations however, were not as elaborate as Serena's but just by looking at them; Serenity saw that their control over magic held the potential to be just as great as Serena's _"And I'm afraid that we may need these girls soon to help us overcome our enemies." _Queen Serenity thought sadly as she saw Rei focus her magic into a fireball _"Though I would give anything for it to be otherwise."_

XxX

It was a tired group of Princesses that made it back to Serena's bedroom later that day, when night's darkness had started to fall. Their first use of magic, though invigorating, had exhausted them mainly due to their inexperience with wielding so much power. Only Serena managed to keep a spring in her step, and she let the others know it "What a shame you guys couldn't keep up with me," She twittered "I mean, if you were as good as me, we'd have been able to do much more with the evening, swimming, jogging…"

"Shoving your face down the toilet…" Muttered Rei, a suggestion which got a good amount of support from the others. Serena pulled a face in reply and the group slowly trudged towards Serena's bedroom where they would get some rest and refreshments.

When they finally reached their target destination, Serena was interrupted from her thoughts of putting her feet up and a plate of faiter with some orange sauce when she saw someone standing at the doors leading to her room with a serious expression on their face. Sighing, Serena said "Hello Gohan."

Gohan looked up at Serena's voice and noted the tone. He had spent the day sending his letter for Sasami to Jurai via a transport ship. After his own training, he had headed to Serena's room to meet with her "Don't tell me you're still angry about what I said." Serena offered no response other than walking past Gohan with her nose tilted slightly in the air. Gohan sighed "Look, I'm sorry OK? I was tired and I wasn't feeling in the best of moods…"

Serena stopped at that, in truth, she had forgiven Gohan by this point but she was still annoyed that he said she looked bad after she had spent three hours choosing her outfit for the Ball. Regardless of that however, Gohan was too good a friend not to forgive. Turning around, Serena smiled at Gohan "Oh alright you big dope. I'm sorry I was mad at you for so long." She held out her hand and Gohan shook it, smiling along with her.

"It's only been two days and already Serena's forgiven someone for insulting her fashion sense." Rei muttered sarcastically "You two must really be in love."

Mina giggled "Yeah, any day now and we'll see little Gohans and Serenas running about the place."

Serena blushed slightly and glared at Mina "Don't you think we're a bit young for thinking about that?" She said acidly.

Gohan nodded thoughtfully, having missed Serena's tone "That's right Mina; you're supposed to be at least eighteen before you can apply to the Baby Sprite to get a child."

There was a pause when this was said. All it took was one look at Gohan's face to see he was perfectly serious. It was Serena who finally broke the silence "What… what are you talking about?"

Gohan smiled "Oh come on Serena, you must know about the Baby Sprite who's in charge of deciding who gets to have babies. There's the sending of your application and then you have to wait the nine months in order to prepare and wait for the reply. And then after the nine months are finished, the Baby Sprite sends you a new baby to raise as your own."

Serena was dumbfounded for a moment. She could do nothing more than stare at Gohan's face looking for any hint of humour. There was none "Gohan," She said after several long moments "Who actually told you that?"

"My mother and father. I asked them when I was about four."

"And you've never seen any reason to… doubt their logic?" Ami cut in, her voice an odd mixture of curiosity and a large amount of amusement.

Gohan shook his head "No, why should I? After all, they're the ones who know all about it."

The others could see the (Incredibly flawed but still there somewhere) logic of that statement but were unsure of what to do. Finally, Ami gave a nervous cough and spoke up "I'm afraid that your parent's information may have been… erroneous." The confused look she got from Gohan made her go on "That is, the story about the Baby Sprite was invented by your parents in order to preserve the innocence of your childhood. A common reaction amongst parents regardless of species, i.e. my parents told me I was found under a rose bush when I asked the same question when I was five."

When Gohan processed this (Which took much quicker than it did for the rest) he looked at Ami in a surprisingly angry way "Are you calling my parents liars?" He demanded.

The large cloud of embarrassment only grew bigger at that statement. A moment of silence was interrupted by a voice coming from behind them "Ah your Highnesses, I was just looking for you." All turned around to see Kami standing several feet away, smiling pleasantly, apparently he hadn't heard any of the conversation "May I ask how your training went… Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked as he saw the odd look on the Princess's face that simply seemed to say that now an adult had shown up, they wouldn't have to deal with Gohan's question anymore.

Smiling ever so sweetly, Serena walked up to Kami and gave him her best 'puppy dog' eyes look "Well Kami, Gohan here has a bit of a question that we can't answer in all decency. Would you please answer it for him while me and the rest get refreshed?"

Kami nodded in an unsure manner and the Princesses all shouted their thanks before quickly retreating to the safety of Serena's room. Kami looked at Gohan "What is your question your Highness?"

Gohan merely looked at him, unsure of what to say, he was left utterly confused by the last few minutes. Deciding to take the most direct route, Gohan looked Kami straight in the eye and asked "Kami, how are children made?"

Kami breathed out a sigh of relief, he had been worried for a minute there… "Well Prince Gohan, the truth behind procreation is that…"

XxX

By the time all five Princesses had refreshed themselves and came out of Serena's bedroom, Kami had finished explaining the facts of life to Gohan. The young Saiyan actually looked quite ill while Kami gave a dignified silence, waiting for Gohan to speak. After a moment of nudging and silent debate, Rei spoke up "So Gohan is everything clear now?"

The look on Gohan's face actually made the Princesses flinch. Not that he was angry, but Gohan looked more as if he'd seen a legion of ghosts. After a moment, he spoke "That has got to be the most disgusting thing I have ever heard."

Kami shrugged in reply "Well I'm afraid that's how these things happen Prince Gohan."

"It's true Gohan," Chimed in Ami "Sometimes the necessary things in life are quite unpleasant."

Gohan still kept a haunted look about him "Unpleasant is right. To do something like that… I'm amazed people don't choke to death on it."

The Princess's imaginations actually shut down at this point. It was left to Ami to work up the courage to speak "Choke on what exactly?"

"The egg that they spit out." Gohan answered "Kami told me that's how children are created."

Everyone looked at Kami with amazement and he replied with a look of annoyance "I don't see why you feel the need to look at me like that. Regurgitating eggs is how Nameks reproduce."

"Nameks yes but not Humans!" Princess Lita called out.

"Oh you wanted me to explain about Human reproduction to Gohan…" Kami said thoughtfully "Well I'm afraid I can't help you much there much, I only have very general ideas on that subject…"

"But you're old! You're supposed to know about… this type of thing." Serena protested, little realising how close she came to making Kami scream with rage at the 'old' comment.

"Your Highness," Kami snapped "While my knowledge does extend to many different matters, Human and even Saiyan reproduction is not among them."

"You mean you don't know about sex?" Ami asked and the covered her mouth with embarrassment, a blush creeping up her face.

"Sects?" Gohan asked, trying to get into the same mental frame as the others "You mean like different groups of religions?"

Ami's blush, which still refused to go away, got deeper as she tried to give an answer "Well it's actually quite hard to explain…"

"Would a physical demonstration be easier?" Innocence resonated throughout Gohan's voice.

Ami had by now gone a bright scarlet which clashed with her sapphire dress. While enjoying the spectacle, Serena realised that Ami's predicament was far too cruel to continue "Well this has been interesting," Serena said, earning herself a small award for understatement of the year "But I think we're all tired after our training and need to go to bed." There were general murmurs of agreements from the other Princesses and they quickly retreated into Serena's room, saying their goodnights.

Gohan turned to his only hope of solving this mystery. Kami however had other ideas "It's time for me to catch up with my meditation." He said simply "Good night to you Prince Gohan." Gohan noticed that the elderly Namek seemed to walk a lot faster than he normally did when he headed away from the young Prince.

Gohan was by now feeling quite lost, who could he turn to in order to get to the bottom of this mystery? The Princesses seemed oddly reluctant as did Kami… With no other option, Gohan resolved to ask the Queen when he next saw her. Perhaps she would be able to help him with this 'Sects' conundrum…

XxX

The landscape around him was bleak, sand and rocks with no hint of any sort of flora around. The figure did little to acknowledge this though, as his meditation was all that mattered for now, nothing could interrupt him…

"Ah, there you are Piccolo." A most unwelcome voice called out.

"_Apart from him…" _Piccolo thought venomously. Turning around, Piccolo was greeted with the sight of one of Queen Beryl's Four Generals "What do you want Zoycite?" Piccolo demanded.

"Oh, I just wanted to have one final word with you before you attack the Moon and hopefully die an agonising death." Zoycite flung his head back and laughed "My greatest regret is that I won't be there to see it!"

Piccolo only smirked at the man's cockiness "And if I do die, my only regret is that I won't be there to see Queen Beryl finally strike you down for being an idiot. I can't believe that she's let you live for as long as you have."

Zoycite suddenly flushed in anger, Piccolo had hit a sore spot "Listen here you green freak," He snarled "Just because you got lucky with the Moon Kingdom's fleet doesn't mean you're better than me."

"Oh I wouldn't say I got lucky. After all, while you were begging Beryl to forgive you for your latest failure, I was destroying the Moon Kingdom's Space Fleet. Quite a contrast wouldn't you say?" Piccolo openly smiled as Zoycite gritted his teeth in anger before turning around and stamping off into the distance, furious at being outdone.

Piccolo watched him go; glad to see that once again, he'd humiliated Zoycite once again. With that small victory however, where did it really leave Piccolo? Subservient to the whims of a power hungry Queen and her imbecilic followers that's where. If the damned Saiyan hadn't killed his father, then Piccolo would never have been forced into servitude to Queen Beryl.

The battle between King Piccolo and the Ascended Saiyan Kakarott had become legendary for its scale. Eighteen years ago the two had fought on the border of the Southern Quadrant after King Piccolo had attacked several Saiyan ships in order to get his hands on a weapon they had been carrying. After a three hour long battle, King Piccolo was struck down after an energy attack from Kakarott had burst through clean through his body. Using the last of his energy, King Piccolo had regurgitated an egg into the depths of space that was found several days later by a ship of the Dark Kingdom.

The Namek that hatched from the egg had been Piccolo who for the last eighteen years had been a grudging servant of Queen Beryl. Piccolo had sworn vengeance on Kakarott for the servitude he had to suffer these last eighteen years. But realising that Kakarott may be out of his grasp, his son was not. Piccolo gave a chilling smile, and should not the sins of the father be visited upon the son?

Oh yes, oh yes indeed…

To be Continued…

**Kind of a filler for the middle part I know but the situation amused me. Also leading up to the attack on the Moon Kingdom on this. BTW, everyone does know I was making a pun on Salami in the last chapter right? Only I got the feeling some people took it as some kind of innuendo… Anyway, for Brutal2003, here's a list of the cameos in the last chapter:**

**Emperor Vir III – Vir from Babylon 5 **

**Emperor Sigmar – From Warhammer**

**Rufus T. Firefly – From Duck Soup**

**Sasami – Do I really have to say?**

"**She was especially annoyed that one of them seemed more concerned about finding an 'Avatar' than spending time with her" – A reference to Zuko from Avatar. **

**That's all for now, just remember to R&R! **


	9. First Blood

A Marriage of Convenience

From its creation, the Moon Kingdom had always kept records of every great event and act to happen within the Royal Family's influence. Every marriage, birth, funeral and practically everything in between involving the Royal Family of the Moon Kingdom had been written down on paper and stored in the vast cellars beneath the Palace, attended to by an army of librarians and clerks. Despite its vastness, there were those who could be asked to find a single document, seemingly inconsequential and no different from the rest and before an hour had passed, they would present you with it.

Queen Serenity had been impressed by the clerks who had only taken two hours to search through the archives and bring her all the records of any member of the Royal Family who were exceptionally gifted in magic. Since Serena had shown exceptional skills with magic seven days ago, Queen Serenity had poured over the records that recorded when the Celestial Senshi had been formed to combat a threat against the Planets. One record in particular gained her interest;

"…_And it hath been recorded that in the War upon the villainous Empire of Freeze that the pure and chaste Princess Serena did lead the Celestial Senshi into battle against the Empire's tyrannical forces. The power wielded by the Princess was enough to strike down the Freezing Prince, leading his forces to flee in terror. The Princess Serena was to perish for her bravery, the energy drained from her body…"_

This was only part of the official proclamation given to the general population; there were letters, diaries and other sources to put flesh on the bone. It wasn't lost on Queen Serenity that the Princess who had perished 500 years ago in the war with the Freezing Empire shared the same name as her daughter. Queen Serenity could only hope that her daughter wouldn't meet the same fate as the Princess did all those years ago.

Queen Serenity looked up from her reading momentarily and cast her gaze around her, taking in the serene sight of her own personal garden as a contrast to the turmoil in her head. It was late afternoon and the Sun was still giving a warm feeling to be enjoyed by all. The light radiated on the flowers, causing them to shine ever brighter. Queen Serenity however, was unable to enjoy the sight as she felt a chill in her soul, while not superstitious; the same names between the Princesses left her very disconcerted.

The Battle which had taken the first Princess Serena's life was renowned in the Moon's history as being one of it most influential moments. When the Freezing Empire had blazed through the Central Quadrant, only the Moon and the Earth were left to offer any serious battle. When the Prince of the Freezing Empire had led his forces on the Moon itself, a battle in the sky had taken the place. A personal duel between the Prince and Princess had taken place with the Prince being slain and his forces routed. Princess Serena fell to the ground, her life force drained. After that, the Freezing Empire had been driven from the Central Quadrant back to the Western.

Looking back down on another file, this one a letter from a soldier who witnessed the battle, Serenity noticed another interesting factor;

"… _The Transformation that the Princess had taken upon was incredible to behold. Wings of an Angel did grace her back and she wielded a pure white Sceptre that did summon the energy to strike down the Prince…"_

Angel's Wings and a pure white staff… The transformation that Serena had taken upon was enough to strike down a member of the Freezing Empire's Royal Family. That sort of power was… incredible, even the Ascended Saiyan had almost died in his battle against Emperor Freeza. Queen Serenity found herself hoping that her daughter would manage to wield such power competently while also hoping that she would never have to.

A small noise from behind Serenity's chair made her turn around; Gohan was standing there, giving a sheepish grin. Blinking, Queen Serenity remembered that she had promised the young Prince that she would answer a question that had been plaguing him for quite some time. Smiling, Queen Serenity put down the document she had been holding back onto the table and motioned to a chair on the opposite side of the table "Please sit Prince Gohan."

Gohan sat on the chair, like Queen Serenity, he was dressed in casual clothing with his white shirt and dark loose trousers. Admittedly, Queen Serenity's tight fitting dress actually did look formal compared to Gohan's clothing but it was quite casual for her. Gohan looked at Serenity, trying to find some way to start when the Queen started for him "It's good to see you Prince Gohan, may I ask what is bothering you so much?"

Gohan took a breath and decided to get right to the point "What is sects?"

Queen Serenity's brow creased in confusion "Don't you mean 'what are sects'? Well to answer your question, sects are small groups that…"

"Um… no." Gohan interrupted, somewhat embarrassed "I mean the sects that makes babies."

Queen Serenity's raised an eyebrow and took on the face of someone who is wondering what is going on. Then the penny gradually dropped and Serenity found herself smiling "Oh dear… Gohan, are you asking me about sex?"

"Is that it? I guess so then, whenever I've asked anybody else, they all just change the topic instantly. It's been driving me insane. I can't even get any books on the subject because the librarians all say I'm too young."

Queen Serenity had by this time started to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing. After gaining control of herself, Queen Serenity asked "And none of them told you what it is?"

Gohan shook his head "No they didn't. Ami said it was really hard to explain and got all embarrassed. She got even worse when I asked her if a physical demonstration would be easier… What's so funny?"

Gohan was responding to Queen Serenity who had burst into unparalleled laughter. She took several minutes to calm down before she could answer Gohan's question. Queen Serenity hadn't laughed that much in years and it felt incredibly good to do so once again. Smiling broadly, she decided to give Gohan an honest answer "I'm going to have to agree with the librarians Gohan. I'm afraid that this is something that you'll have to ask your parents about…" A sound in the distance that cut Queen Serenity's sentence short. It was a sound that had not been heard in five hundred years.

Queen Serenity suddenly shot up to her feet and looked up to the towers of the Palace where in one of them, an ancient bell, powered by magic was tolling deep, bass tones that reverberated throughout the entire Palace. Gohan noted with shock the change of expression on Queen Serenity's face. Where once there had amusement and joy, there was now only stone cold horror "Your Majesty, what…" Gohan started but was cut off by a hand gesture from the Queen.

"Gohan, I want you to go to your rooms now and do not come out until I give you express orders otherwise. Do you understand?"

Gohan could only look on in complete confusion at what was happening and hesitated "But your Majesty, what about…?"

"GO NOW!" Queen Serenity shouted, causing Gohan to dumbly nod and quickly head back in the direction of his rooms. Queen Serenity found herself feeling slightly guilty at shouting at Gohan but she had no choice. The bell which was tolling was the Bell of Tucana, a King of the Moon who had lived centuries ago. Tucana had lived in a period of great uncertainty and strife within the Moon Kingdom. The last act of his life was to forge a Bell that would warn his descendants of any threat to the Moon Kingdom itself by ringing until the threat had passed.

According to legend, the last time the Bell had rung was when the Freezing Empire had almost taken the Moon Kingdom as its own. Queen Serenity practically ran out of the garden and headed toward the Chamber where the War Council met, knowing that her generals would be there to direct the defence of the Moon. Queen Serenity felt a chill in her soul as she remembered who had fallen the last time the Moon Kingdom was under threat and hoped beyond hope that her daughter would not meet the same fate.

XxX

"Idiot!" Queen Beryl snapped as she glanced at the crystal ball which showed the Palace of the Moon Kingdom. Turning around, she glared at Babidi in fury "The magic you've used has alerted the Bell of Tucana, they know an attack will take place!"

Babidi dropped his concentration on the spell momentarily and gazed at Queen Beryl "Do you wish me to stop then?" He asked, allowing as much bitterness as possible into his voice. The spell he had prepared for the transportation to the troops from the Dark Kingdom to the Moon Kingdom had taken over three months to get right due to the sheer danger in transporting anybody over that amount of distance by magic alone. The fact that there were 800 troops to transport did little to help as well, the portal between the Worlds would stay open for only so long. After that, he would be too exhausted to keep it open.

Queen Beryl shook her head in answer to Babidi's question "It would be sheer folly to stop now, continue." She fixed Babidi another killing glare "But keep in mind that if you ever make a mistake like this again Wizard, it will be your last."

"Yes your Majesty." Babidi said while he inwardly seethed, it would only be a matter of time before he made Beryl pay for every last humiliation she had reaped upon him. Casting those satisfying thoughts aside, he resumed with his concentration and incantation.

Queen Beryl turned away from the repulsive sorcerer and turned her gaze onto the sight of her troops. They were standing on one of the many desolate wastelands that made up a significant part of the Dark Kingdom, assembled in ranks and looking slightly nervous. They were of all shapes and sizes, skilled in combat and some in magic. All had been selected for the attack because they were both excellent as shock troops and utterly expendable.

Queen Beryl smiled. She had never expected this attack to succeed but merely wanted it to send shockwaves through the Moon Kingdom. If they felt that even if their own soil was no longer safe, the Moon Kingdom would be weaker than ever. Even the Alliance with the Saiyans may be revoked… An even Queen Beryl was happy to see, the alliance between the Saiyan Empire and the Moon Kingdom had been the one event she hadn't foreseen. How did Queen Serenity manage to forsake her hatred like that?

But it was of little matter, the Saiyans would have their turn too eventually. A flash of light suddenly obscured Queen Beryl's vision momentarily. When it cleared, a small shimmering circle was standing in mid-air. Babidi's incantations became faster and he was beginning to sweat from the effort needed. As the portal grew and extended to the ground, Queen Beryl smiled with relish, the War between the Kingdoms was about to reach a new level…

Queen Beryl motioned her head to the sorcerer, and gave a command "Once you're done here, rejoin me in the Throne Room, we can discuss further plans there." Not even bothering to see if Babidi acknowledged her words, Queen Beryl disappeared in a flash of light as Babidi continued with the spell

XxX

Within the War Council, events were running rapidly. A scanning spell and scanning equipment had been activated to spot where the danger was coming from. Nothing had as of yet been found, much to Queen Serenity's worry "How could we have not found anything yet?" She asked out loud.

"The magic that was employed in forging the Bell was far more complex than the scanning spells we are currently using." Cosmos answered "The Bell is able to detect some extremely complex and secretive magic that would take too long for us to enact."

Queen Serenity nodded at that answer and glanced down in front of her. She and Cosmos were standing at an incredibly large table that was a 2D map of the Royal Palace and the capital city of Lunos separated into grids. Any enemy magic used would be detected and shown on the grid via a red dot. So far, it remained clear and Queen Serenity allowed herself to hope that the magic that governed the Bell of Tucana had somehow collapsed. The likeliness of such an event however, was minimal at best and Queen Serenity had given the order for maximum alertness for all troops within the Palace and capital city along with the order that all non-military personnel should stay in a safe place until the crisis had passed.

Over 1000 soldiers had been summoned from the nearest military base on the Moon to reinforce the 3000 strong garrison in Lunos. The 500 garrison in the Palace would stay and defend in case of the event the assault reached that far. As for now, Queen Serenity was purely worried about the attack which she believed would strike the Moon Kingdom's greatest city and the devastation that would be affected upon her people. She turned to a soldier who was standing at a smaller table some distance away who was controlling a device that was performing a scan for any increased magic in the area "Have you found anything yet?"

The soldier shook his head "There doesn't seem to be any disturbances at all in Lunos your Majesty. I think the Bell may have been…" The soldier stopped suddenly as the device he was working at beeped loudly. Looking down, the soldier gaped in panic and rapidly pressed several buttons which only made the beeping grow louder. The soldier turned to General Cosmos "Sir, I've found where the threat is coming from. We've been looking in the wrong place. They're not assaulting the city; the threat is directly in the Palace!"

Queen Serenity felt a small shiver of dread go right down her spine at those words. Serena and the other Princesses were in Serena's room where Queen Serenity had sent them to avoid danger. Looking down at the grid-map, a bright red dot had appeared on it, showing the threat was located in the east wing of the Palace, where the sleeping quarters were.

Seeing that Queen Serenity had frozen in shock, General Cosmos took charge. Pointing at the group of soldiers who were standing at the communications station, he ordered "Send word to the troops in the city immediately, I want those reinforcements coming to the Palace and I want them now. But tell the garrisons already in Lunos to stay there; we don't know if this is the main attack yet." Turning to the soldiers standing at the door, he barked "And you; make sure that no harm comes to the Queen, she is not to leave this room until the crisis has passed."

This brought Queen Serenity out of her stupor and she snapped her head towards Cosmos "You can't expect me to wait here while…"

"Yes your Majesty, I can." Cosmos interrupted "The reason being is that we can lose many things, but if the Moon Kingdom loses its Queen then we are lost. Please don't make me order my troops to hold you down your Majesty."

Queen Serenity gave a ghost of a smile at that and she relented, knowing that Cosmos was right "Very well Cosmos, but bring my daughter back safely, I beg of you."

Cosmos nodded "I swear by the stars themselves, I will bring the Princess to you unharmed." He then turned on his heel and prepared to leave.

A shout from Queen Serenity stopped him however "Cosmos!" He turned back to look at the Queen "Please… be careful." Cosmos nodded in reply and left the room, his hand already gripping his sword.

XxX

In the eastern wing of the Palace, the Princesses waited breathlessly while they waited word from Luna who had volunteered to go and ask the Queen on how events were transpiring. All five were standing up and Serena was pacing about at a furious pace, worried about her friend, her mother and her home. All of them practically jumped out of their skins when Luna's voice called out "Let me in!" From behind the door. Serena did so and was almost tripped up when Luna ran right past her, calling out "Lock it! Lock the door!"

Serena did so and turned around to see Luna who was in a terrible state. She looked terrified, her fur was bristling and a wild look in her eyes that showed pure terror "Luna what…" Serena started but was quickly interrupted.

"Barricade the door! They're here!"

"Who's here?" Rei asked, just as confused as the others

"The soldiers of the Dark Kingdom!" Luna snapped "They're coming in through a portal in a hall down the corridor. It's only a matter of time before they reach here and find us! We must barricade the door!"

There was a horrified pause at this; none had been expecting an attack by the Dark Kingdom like this. The Princesses had no idea what to do… apart from one "Let's transform." Lita said.

Luna's eyes widened at this "You can't be serious!" She snapped at Lita.

"Do you have a better idea? Barricading the door jut means that we'll be trapped here like mice in a corner. I say we transform into the Celestial Senshi and fight our way out of here. It's our best chance of getting away with our lives."

"But you've only been training for a week!" Luna protested "How can you hope to defend yourselves when you're so inexperienced?"

"You mean you have a better idea?" Rei demanded, joining in "I'm with Lita; if we transform into the Senshi then at least we have half a chance of getting to safety. And even if we don't, I'd rather go down fighting."

Ami nodded at this "It's true Luna, if we fight, our chances of survival will be much higher if we try to escape rather than hide in here."

Mina stepped forward, her hand clenched in determination "I'm with you guy. Sorry Lita, I know you're trying to think of the best thing for us but this time, I think we should have our own way."

The four Princesses then turned to Serena who tried her best to look inconspicuous "Well you guys all bring up interesting points but I'm afraid I'll sit this one out…" She was interrupted by the others grabbing hold of her arms and shoulders and shoving her towards the door.

"Oh no ping-pong head," Growled Rei, though she smiled a little when she did so "It's all for one is this instance."

"All for one what?" Lita asked in a confused tone.

"Rei's right Serena," Mina cut in "We all need to fight together and since you're the most powerful among us, we need you." They stopped just by the door and let go of Serena who paused. The truth was, she was terrified of the thought of going into battle and had hoped that she would never have to do it. But with this situation arising, Serena realised that she couldn't leave her friends to face the threat without her. They would face this threat together.

Turning to her friends, Serena smiled "All right, I'm with you. We'll fight together and hopefully get out of here." The others nodded in reply and Serena closed her eyes. She had been wearing the brooch which allowed her to access her magic ever since her mother had given it to her a week ago. The energy coursed through her body once more and with a flash of white, Serena had transformed once more. The wings upon her back and sceptre in her hands denoting her power.

Serena turned around to see that the others had also transformed into their Senshi outfits. A voice from behind them was heard "Well, I wish you had listened to me… But I'm proud that you've matured so much." Luna smiled when she finished saying this "I'll go with you and hopefully we'll get through this unscathed."

Serena nodded before remembering something very important "We need to go get Gohan! We can't leave him alone! We'll go get him and then go to the War Council; there should be where all the generals and soldiers have gathered." Nodding at this plan, all followed Serena as she opened the door and slid out of the room, to whatever lay ahead.

XxX

General Cosmos rushed through the corridors of the Palace on the way to the east wing. He had already directed 100 soldiers to the east wing via a different route that would allow them the element of surprise against the Dark Kingdom's soldiers. Cosmos himself was taking the most direct route to Serena's bedroom which he believed would be the most dangerous. Hence, the reason why he was the only one taking it.

At a corner, Cosmos turned and felt utterly justified in his decision. Admittedly this was because a group of ten Dark Kingdom soldiers were standing only a few metres away and his life had just entered a very dangerous period but it was justification nonetheless. The soldiers had stopped when they saw Cosmos; they were standing at a 'T' junction within the corridors with the other one stretching off to the north. One of the enemy soldiers, a slim, blue skinned male wearing dark black robes, grinned in an evil way "Well, well," He said "What do we have here?"

Cosmos merely unsheathed his sword in reply. It was a sabre type, his name inscribed into the handle, made from the finest steel on the Moon and sharpened to the extreme. The enemy soldiers merely laughed in reply "Oh come on old man," One howled, a female with grey wings, long greasy hair and wore a filthy grey robe "Do you honestly think you can beat the ten of us? Who do you think you are?"

"I am General Cosmos of Her Majesty's Armed Forces." The Dark Kingdom soldiers all paused and appeared to get smaller, as if every molecule in their body had gone 'Oh _bugger_'.

The blue skinned man managed to rally first, actually managing to sneer, he snarled "Even if you are Cosmos, there's still ten of us and one of you."

Cosmos smiled evilly "Have you ever heard of the last war the Moon Kingdom had in the Eastern Quadrant? I was trapped in a cave with forty enemy troops. I was the only one who walked out alive." The Dark Kingdom soldiers visibly quailed at this, which only served to increase Cosmos's smile "Now, who would like to die first?"

After a brief pause, the blue skinned man lunged forward, a black ball of energy burgeoning in his hands. He screamed with a nameless fury and threw the energy and himself right at Cosmos. The general merely side stepped both and brought his sword down across the soldier's neck. The blow was swift and true and the soldier's head flew from the shoulders, bouncing several times as it hit the ground. Not even bothering to look at the corpse, Cosmos turned to the remaining soldiers and plainly asked "Who wants to be next?"

Those who hadn't attacked Cosmos all looked at each other. It was really a question of who they were more afraid of, General Cosmos or Queen Beryl. After a wordless debate, it was decided that defying Queen Beryl was a damn sight more stupid than attacking Cosmos, even now. As one, they all powered up their magical energies and prepared to unleash them upon Cosmos. They were interrupted however when a bright flash from the northern corridor that grew brighter until it lit up the area right in front of Cosmos where the light hit the Dark Kingdom's soldiers.

The flash that followed caused Cosmos to cover his eyes. When he opened them, he was greeted with the sight of the enemy soldiers gone, apparently vaporised. A cry of "Great shot Serena!" Was heard from the northern corridor.

Cosmos gave a sigh of relief and called out "Your Highnesses? Are you all alright?"

The five Princesses rushed around the corner to see Cosmos practically beaming, the power the Princesses possessed deeply impressed him. The Princesses looked surprised to see him "General Cosmos," A voice from down below everyone's knees was heard "It is surprisingly pleasing to see you. May I ask as to if you're here to aid us?" Cosmos shook his head "I'm here to take you to the War Council, you should be safe there."

Serena nodded out of hand "OK, but before that, we must go get Gohan."

Cosmos's face sneered in disgust "The Saiyan? You Highness, the safety of you and the other Princesses is paramount. The barbarian's is not, I believe that…"

"No," Serena said, cutting Cosmos short "We are going to find Gohan and then we'll go to the War Council. You can either come with us or return by yourself." Princess Serena then turned around and marched down the corridor down to Gohan's rooms.

A small internal conflict took place within Cosmos, though he hated Saiyans, his overwhelming sense of duty came before any petty hatred. Muttering darkly to himself, Cosmos followed the Princesses through the Palace. The group travelled the distance to Gohan's room, fighting off three separate attacks along the way. Serena was the first to the door and stopped suddenly. A note had been stuck on eye level that read;

"_To Queen Serenity,_

_I know that you told me to stay in my rooms but I'm really, really, REALLY hungry. I promise I'll be back after I get something to eat from the kitchens._

_I apologise once again,_

_Prince Gohan"_

Serena felt her hands grip the piece of paper with overt force. The look on her face made everyone step back, even Cosmos. Gritting her teeth, Serena shouted three words "That. Big. DOPE!"

XxX

As he turned around another corner, Gohan swore that he would never try to take a short cut again. He had thought that by cutting through a certain room, he'd be able to get to his rooms that much quicker. He had been wrong and with all this walking, all that faiter he had eaten was starting to wear off, hunger was striking again. Gohan had yet to get used to the sheer size of the Palace, the one back on Planet Vegeta had been tiny as Saiyans very rarely went in for grandeur in their architecture. Now he was completely lost, Gohan found himself wishing that the Moon Kingdom had followed their example.

Gohan turned yet another corner and came across a very surprising sight. In front of him, the hall was packed with a group of very unsavoury looking types. They all paused at the sight of Gohan before realising who he was. One walked up to a distance in front of Gohan "Well, well, well. If isn't that Saiyan who's supposed to marrying the Princess. I hear you're a complete weakling, the only reason you got sent here was because your family were ashamed to give birth to such a little freak."

Gohan felt his face flush in fury at those words "And who are you?" He demanded.

The person who spoke answered with the same contemptuous tones "We are soldiers of the Dark Kingdom. And I imagine presenting your head to Queen Beryl on a platter will please her incredibly." He motioned with his hand towards Gohan "Let's kill him and return to the Dark Kingdom. I imagine his screams of agony will be most amusing as we tear him apart." As one, the group of Dark Kingdom soldiers moved menacingly towards Gohan…

XxX

It has been noted before that Gohan is considered weak by most Saiyans. Indeed, the regular power level of a Saiyan his age is over a third more than what Gohan's is. What people failed to note however was that Gohan was weak, but only compared to other Saiyans. Compared to most other races of the Galaxy, he was still incredibly powerful.

So the sensation felt by the Dark Kingdom soldiers when they went to kill Gohan can only possibly compared to someone deliberately stepping on what he thinks is the tail of a cat, only to find out in fact belongs to a fully grown Siberian Tiger who's been suffering from toothache for the last three days, his long time girlfriend has just left him for that Puma down the valley and he's just eaten an entire bag of coffee beans.

All in all, not a nice experience.

XxX

Piccolo paced the floor of the hall he was in, being careful to avoid the portal beside him. The attack had gone as planned, the soldiers of the Dark Kingdom had spanned out in groups of ten or more around the Palace to cause the largest amount of chaos and destruction possible. Piccolo had stayed in hall, waiting for an hour while the Moon Kingdom scrambled to defend themselves. Then, during the chaos, he would seek out the son of Kakarott and kill him, painfully. The time frame in which to do so was non-existent Piccolo realised; the portal to the Dark Kingdom was shrinking rapidly, obviously Babidi had returned to the Palace and the magic sustaining it was quickly vanishing. But Piccolo believed he was resourceful enough to escape the Moon even without the portal.

Piccolo was so determined in this plan that he didn't pay attention when he heard screams and explosions outside the door to the hall. After two minutes, the noises stopped and someone opened the door from the other side, slowly. Piccolo was amazed when he saw the face of the person who opened the door belonged to that of a child. One who looked haggard and distraught but a child nonetheless.

Gohan for his part was shaken deeply. He had been attacked by a group of ten Dark Kingdom soldiers and in return, had killed eight of them with the other two fleeing in terror. Though it had been purely in self defence, Gohan felt his very being disturbed from what he had done. He was still unsure as to why was attacked in the first place. He was no warrior and he knew the images of when he had vaporised three people with one energy attack would haunt him in his dreams for years to come.

Gohan was so fazed that he barely even registered Piccolo's presence until he had walked straight into the room. He came down from his plane of thought and noticed the figure standing just opposite him. Gohan blinked and muttered "Kami? No wait, he's fetching that Ambassador from Namek isn't he? Who are you?"

Piccolo smiled evilly, he couldn't believe his sheer luck. Here he was, waiting until he could find and kill the spawn of Kakarott and the child walked right up into his lap. Though the child was inexplicably clothed in Human shirt, trousers and shoes, the furry tail and gravity defying hair was testament to his race. Piccolo shifted his position so that he was looking directly at the young Saiyan "My name is Piccolo and I suppose you are the son of the Saiyan Kakarott."

Gohan looked at him dumbly before nodding hesitantly "Ye… Yes I am. Do you know my dad?"

Piccolo took several steps towards Gohan "You could say that," He growled "My father was the Demon King Piccolo Daimao. Does that name mean anything to you?"

Gohan paused in thought "No, should it?"

Piccolo stopped in his tracks and glowered at the child. How could his father not tell him about the Demon King? Piccolo took another step towards the young boy "So your father didn't tell you that he faced the Demon King in battle and slew him?"

Gohan simply shook his head, his head still fuzzy from what he had gone through "No he didn't. When I was young I had nightmares from the stories he told me so he never talked about what he does since then."

By now Piccolo was directly in front of Gohan, his huge frame towering over the still confused child. Suddenly, his hand lashed out and grabbed Gohan by the shirt, turning him around a full 180 degrees so that it was Gohan now facing the doorway and Piccolo turned towards the portal "Now listen you little brat! For the last eighteen years, I've been nothing but a slave to that witch Beryl because your father killed mine. And I've sworn that…"

What Piccolo had sworn, Gohan never found out. A hiss from behind him cut off Piccolo's words and he turned to see a Dark Kingdom soldier, who seemed to be half-snake half-human grasping at a spear conjured from pure energy in his hands "Ah Piccolo," He hissed "I'm sssure Zoycccite will reward me handsssomely for your head on a ssspike. And I'm cccertain Queen Beryl won't care much for what happensss to you."

As the Dark Kingdom threw the spear directly at Piccolo's heart, the Namek reflected that perhaps it wasn't just Zoycite who was hoping to see him dead. As he could only look onto his impending death, Piccolo was amazed when Gohan grabbed his arm and tripped the Namek to the ground. The spear, instead of hitting Piccolo in the heart, struck Gohan directly in the shoulder. With a scream of agony, Gohan was flung back from the impact and struck the now miniscule portal. As Gohan was still holding onto Piccolo with his good hand however, the Namek was dragged along with him and he was pulled into the magical pull of the portal.

The Dark Kingdom soldier scowled in annoyance, now he wouldn't be able to collect that reward from Zoycite. Then he noticed that the portal was still, very slightly, open and realised that if he was quick enough, he could go through and kill both Piccolo and the boy. The soldier didn't know if the boy was important or not but hey, food was food.

Before these actions could be taken, the soldier saw a movement out the corner of his eye and turned. The last thing he ever saw was a man with greying hair stab him with a deadly sharp sabre. The soldier slumped to the ground, dad before he hit it "Miserable scum." Muttered Cosmos as he lowered his blade.

"Sure he was, now let's go in there. I'm sure that's where the scream came from." Serena said, rushing past Cosmos and barging into the hall where the portal lay. A second after Serena saw it however, it blinked out in a flash of light, leaving only empty space "Gohan?" Serena asked, her voice hollow.

To be continued…

**I'm a git aren't I? Leaving with Gohan stuck in the Dark Kingdom and several hundred enemies flaunting around the Moon Kingdom's Palace. Well, I hope you enjoyed regardless and please R&R! **


	10. Piccolo's Choice

A Marriage of Convenience

Piccolo glowered at the empty space in front of him, limitless wasteland as far as the eye could see. It would take hours before he even found an outpost of the Dark Kingdom and he wasn't even sure if he wanted to. From what he had experienced on the Moon Kingdom, Zoycite had agents enough who were willing to kill him so why head back there? The only reason he could go back was to gain favour somehow and get his revenge in some way, strike down Zoycite once and for all and get back into Queen Beryl's good grace again.

While he was planning this, a small snide voice in Piccolo's head asked _"So why haven't you killed the boy yet?" _

Piccolo shifted Gohan's weight higher up his back, the unconscious boy not even twitching as Piccolo gave him a piggy back across the wasteland. Gohan had passed out from the pain as soon as he hit the soil of the Dark Kingdom and had yet to wake up. One look at him and Piccolo knew that his right shoulder blade had been shattered from the force of the blow the energy spear had given.

Though he believed that he had no reason to help the brat, Piccolo had found himself binding Gohan's wound and tearing off a part of his cape to bind the injury and set the bone. And now he was carrying the young boy to… his fate? Though Piccolo had been certain about taking Gohan to Queen Beryl, he was gradually realising that he was taking a very long route to get to her…

Piccolo felt Gohan stir slightly and the boy groaned slightly as he regained consciousness and opened his eyes. Piccolo heard him moan in pain and shift backwards. The next sound was the boy asking, in a hoarse whisper "Wha… Where am I?"

"You're in the Dark Kingdom." Piccolo answered bluntly.

It took several seconds for Gohan to register this and ask another question "Why am I here?"

"You fell through the portal that went to the Dark Kingdom. You're stuck here." When Piccolo said this, he felt Gohan fall forward limply onto his back.

Another moment passed before Gohan spoke again. This time, his voice sounded hopeless as well as tired "I'm thirsty."

"So are a lot of people, deal with it." Piccolo growled. This kid was really starting to annoy him.

"But my throat is starting to hurt really badly."

"I don't care." Piccolo stated though he noted the rasp in Gohan's voice and how it must hurt the already injured boy.

"I don't suppose you don't have anything to drink then." Gohan said, now resigning himself to the nagging pain at the back of his throat.

At this, Piccolo stopped walking and dropped Gohan to the ground roughly. The Namek twisted around and opened his mouth to insult Gohan for his weakness when he looked properly at the boy for the first time. Gohan looked exhausted and battered; his shirt had been torn to pieces by the energy spear and was only holding on in threads from his other shoulder. His eyes were drooping as he looked exhausted simply from being awake; Piccolo suspected that he whatever he had woken up from wasn't proper sleep.

Piccolo felt his mouth close and inexplicably, his hand reached into his vest pocket and pulled out his gourd which contained the water he drank. He threw it over to Gohan roughly "Here," He growled "And don't drink it all."

The last sentence seemed to go unheeded as Gohan opened the gourd, placed it to his lips and threw back his head, drinking deeply from it. After several seconds, Gohan finished and threw the gourd back to Piccolo with a small "Thank you."

Piccolo glowered as he felt the weight of the gourd in his hand "I told you not to drink it all." He growled.

Gohan smiled sheepishly and had the decency to look embarrassed "Sorry about that but I was so thirsty Mr… What's your name actually? We weren't introduced were we?" Gohan held out his hand and smiled "I'm Gohan, pleased to meet you."

Gohan's smile faltered as Piccolo merely looked at the hand without budging a muscle "My name is Piccolo." He then turned his back on Gohan and looked into the distance "Can you walk?"

Gohan unsteadily got to his feet and took a few tentative steps "I think so Mr. Piccolo."

Piccolo lifted a brow at that but made no comment about it "Good, I'm not carrying you any further. Let's go." And with that Piccolo started to walk away from Gohan, causing him to panic slightly.

"Wait Mr. Piccolo! Where are we going?"

Piccolo had to stop at that as he wasn't entirely sure himself. One part of him was screaming at to lure him into Queen Beryl's clutches while another part of Piccolo was pointing out the fact that Gohan was the only person who had ever stuck their neck out for him. After a few seconds, Piccolo turned back to face Gohan said "We're going to find someway to get you back to the Moon Kingdom."

Gohan's eyes lit up at this and he beamed a smile "Thank you so much Mr. Piccolo! You'll be coming as well?" The voice was so full of hope that Piccolo found himself nodding before he could stop himself. Gohan's smile grew even wider "Great! Wait until you meet everyone, Serena, Ami, Queen Serenity, Kami…"

"Kami?" Piccolo interrupted "Kami the Namek?"

Gohan nodded "That's right, do you know him?"

Piccolo gave no answer as he rapidly thought about this revelation. In truth, the Demon King Piccolo had been created from when Kami had exorcised his evil self in order to achieve a new level of power. Demon King Piccolo had gone on to become the terror of the Central Quadrant while Kami had become something of a hero and one of the most trusted advisors to the Royal Families of the Galaxy. Piccolo had to marvel at that, Kami had achieved a position of true power while the Demon King Piccolo was reduced to a bandit and his son a slave. If only Kami had spat out the egg before splitting with his evil self, then maybe Piccolo may have been able to claim his own destiny.

Realising that Gohan had been waiting for an answer, Piccolo shrugged and muttered "I've heard of him." Turning back to face his intended travelling direction, Piccolo once again started to walk away "Now are you coming or not?" The scramble of feet behind him assured Piccolo of which action Gohan had taken.

For several minutes the two walked in silence, which was the way Piccolo liked it. The silence was broken however when Gohan spoke "Mr. Piccolo, can I ask you a question?"

Piccolo growled and refused to stop walking "Alright, but make it a short one."

"Where do babies come from?"

Piccolo stopped short and twisted around to face Gohan "What did you say?" He demanded, convinced Gohan was making fun of him in some way.

The sheer innocence radiating from Gohan's eyes made Piccolo pause as the boy gave his answer "Well my parents told me the Baby Sprite was what gave babies to people. But then the Princesses told me that was wrong and then Kami said that babies come from eggs but then he said that's only how Nameks have babies. Then Ami said sex was how babies are made but no one is willing tell me what that is and now I'm so confused about it that I don't know who to believe anymore…"

Piccolo listened to this numbly. He had never been in this situation before in his life and had no idea what to do. He had served in the army of the Dark Kingdom for eighteen years and all armies were alike in that they developed a certain… culture (Usually focused on jokes about bodily functions and extravagant hand gestures). Piccolo had picked up what can be called the 'facts of life' in a rough and ready fashion though not entirely of his own will. He found himself unable to bring himself to say it out loud to Gohan however. He instead merely muttered "Ask your parents." And continued to walk onwards.

XxX

Gohan and Piccolo had been walking for several hours now, mainly in silence as any conversation Gohan attempted was quickly cut off by a short, sharp answer by Piccolo. The area they were in was still barren but Piccolo could hear a stream trickling faintly in the distance. It was getting dark as well with the night drawing in quickly on this World. These were things Piccolo only noticed at the back of his mind however as inwardly, he was still debating over what to do about Gohan.

His normal train of thought was telling him still to hand the child over to Queen Beryl and return to her ranks. But another part which was getting harder and harder to ignore pointed out that not only had Gohan saved his life but also was prepared to welcome him into his home. Why had the boy done so? And why had Piccolo helped him when every instinct was telling him not to? These problems were constantly gnawing at Piccolo since Gohan had regained consciousness.

While thinking over his conflicting thoughts, Piccolo came to notice a lack of sound that had been there before. Stopping swiftly, he realised what it was, Gohan's steps could no longer be heard. Turning around, Piccolo was actually shocked to see that Gohan lying face down on the ground several metres away. He quickly walked over to the young boy and only just prevented himself from kneeling down next to him "Are you alright?" He contented himself with asking while standing over Gohan.

Gohan's answer was so quiet that only through Piccolo's incredible hearing did he hear it "I'm kind of tired Mr. Piccolo… Can we stop for a rest?"

Without saying a word, Piccolo bent down, picked Gohan up, walked over to a small area where the ground wasn't littered with so many rocks and gently placed Gohan down facing up. Gohan gave a small smile in thanks and whispered "Is it OK if I sleep a while Mr. Piccolo?"

Piccolo nodded "Yeah, sure. Go ahead and I'll stand guard." He noticed that Gohan was shivering slightly; the temperature had dropped sharply since night had fallen "Are you cold?" He asked.

Gohan tried to shake his head but his exhaustion was already taking over him "No… I'm fine Mr. Piccolo." He said, though his shaking was beginning to get worse. In response, Piccolo took off his shoulder guards, ripped the cape from them and laid it down over Gohan gently. Almost at once, the shivering stopped and Gohan relaxed considerably "Thanks Mr. Piccolo." He whispered softly "You're a great friend…" And with that, he fell asleep.

Piccolo could only look on as Gohan began his peaceful sleep as he felt himself slip into inner turmoil. In his entire existence, Piccolo had never been shown a true genuine display of affection. Only in the last few hours had Gohan been showing Piccolo the sort affection others would take for granted throughout their entire lives. Piccolo stood silently over Gohan and knew then that he couldn't go back to the Dark Kingdom. Not just because he hated it with a passion but it would mean that he would betray the only person who valued his life, the only person who had actually called him 'friend'.

Piccolo allowed himself the first genuine smile in his entire life "You're something special kid." He muttered quietly and sat down. He removed his turban and got into a meditating position, allowing himself to mentally concentrate and slip away from his surroundings.

XxX

Morning had now broken over the area Piccolo and Gohan were staying in. While Gohan himself was still asleep, Piccolo had gone to the stream he had heard in the distance in order to fill up the gourd Gohan had earlier drained dry. Knowing the boy would also be starving after a day with no food, Piccolo also managed to grab some fish from the water. Although they were small and measly, they were better than nothing and would hopefully restore Gohan's strength somewhat.

Taking the fish in one hand, Piccolo turned around and was greeted with an incredibly unwelcome site. Before him, there was a group of twenty Dark Kingdom soldiers with none other than Zoycite standing in front of them with his usual insufferable smirk on his features. Realising that he was in deep trouble, Piccolo decided to get right to the point "Zoycite? What are you doing here?"

Zoycite took several steps forward; eyeing the fish in Piccolo's hands he said in a confident tone "Well that slug Babidi told us that there was an anomaly with the portal which showed that two people had slipped through. We seeing you must have run and hid from the Moon Kingdom's Army, that leaves the second person and I wonder who that is…"

Piccolo had been looking at the Dark Kingdom soldiers during Zoycite's little speech, judging his chances. He knew that he could take most of the soldiers with only three of them giving him any real trouble but Zoycite was another mater, he was powerful in magic and could pose a real threat to Piccolo. Piccolo's train of thought was interrupted by Zoycite continuing in his own little monologue "Now seeing you here means that you must have fled like a coward from the pathetic forces of the Moon Kingdom. But who's the second person Piccolo? According to Babidi, it wasn't someone from the Dark Kingdom so that leaves the fact that whoever it was must have been Human…"

Zoycite left the sentence hanging in the air which, coincidentally, was what Piccolo wanted to do to Zoycite. Knowing that he would be facing a battle soon regardless of anything he said, Piccolo struck first by letting loose an energy blast from his right hand that went flying towards the Dark Kingdom soldiers. Acting far too slow, the blast killed all of the soldiers on the spot, vaporising all of them instantly. When the dust cleared, Piccolo turned to Zoycite and smirked "I don't know about you, but I'm going to enjoy this." And with that, he dashed directly at the General in a pre-emptive strike.

With a flash of light, Zoycite disappeared from view and Piccolo, expecting a back attack, lashed out behind him, throwing another energy attack as he did so. Only empty air greeted the blast though and Piccolo was struck from behind with a magical blast that sent him to the ground. Zoycite began to pompously laugh "Pathetic Piccolo! And to think you were supposed to be the most powerful soldier in Queen Beryl's army!" Rising slowly as he shook the stunned feeling from his head, Piccolo realised that Zoycite hadn't made himself teleport but had made himself invisible instead.

Gritting his teeth, Piccolo quickly rose back to his feet and snarled "Don't think you're little tricks will save you Zoycite! Only one of us gets away from this place alive!"

Another pompous laugh from Zoycite made Piccolo clench his fists in rage and he started to concentrate to see if he could find the very energy that came from Zoycite's very being. He was stopped however when a blinding flash of light lit up directly in front of his eyes, blinding him. Covering his eyes with his hands and shouting in agony, Piccolo heard Zoycite call out again "Well this is much easier than expected. I think I'm going to have some fun with you Piccolo before I go after whoever you dragged back with you."

The thought of Zoycite getting his hands on Gohan made Piccolo temporarily overlook his pain to focus properly to find Zoycite's location. Sensing him standing only a few feet to his left, Piccolo twisted and lashed out, stretching out his limb so that it struck Zoycite head on. The blow broke Zoycite's concentration and he became visible once more as he landed roughly onto the ground. It gave enough time for Piccolo to fully clear his vision and get into a fighting position as Zoycite clambered to his feet.

Zoycite glared at Piccolo with a face full of unrestrained hatred "DAMN YOU NAMEK!" Zoycite screamed in fury "I'LL DELIVER YOU HEAD TO BERYL ON A PLATTER FOR WHAT YOU JUST DID!!!"

Piccolo only smirked in reply "It's going take a lot more than your childish screams for that to happen Zoycite." Piccolo then dove at Zoycite again, this time reaching out to grab his throat. Zoycite managed to dodge to the left and sent out a dark green flame from his hand. Piccolo was left with little choice but to take on the full brunt of the attack. It seared across his skin but Piccolo was able to shake off the worst of the pain and braced himself to launch another attack on Zoycite.

Zoycite allowed himself to smirk as he gathered the energy for another attack on Piccolo; perhaps this wouldn't be so hard after all… With a cry, he shot a blast of pure magical energy towards Piccolo that he hoped would seriously damage the Namek. He was amazed to see that Piccolo, instead of trying to dodge the blast, dove straight through it and came out the other end, heading directly for Zoycite. The Dark Kingdom General could only look on in shock as Piccolo dove at him and unleashed a devastating punch into his stomach.

Zoycite doubled over as the blow winded him and he felt his body shudder in pain but it wasn't over yet. Piccolo sent out his other fist and struck Zoycite's head so hard the General momentarily blacked out from the pain. When he came too, he could blearily make out that Piccolo had grabbed him by the jacket of his uniform, twisted around and flung him over his shoulder. Zoycite crashed onto the ground, rolling several metres before his body finally stopped, crumpled into a heap amongst the dirt.

"Like I said," Piccolo muttered loud enough Zoycite to hear "I'm going to enjoy this." He had long wanted to put Zoycite in his place but the fact that Queen Beryl would have killed him for it was a major detractor for the plan. Now though, realising he was essentially defecting from the Dark Kingdom, Piccolo allowed himself to fully enjoy putting his long held desires for killing Zoycite fully "You were always pathetic," Piccolo said as he walked towards his opponent "Always bragging about things you were going to do, always getting in everyone's way. I'm amazed that Beryl didn't allow me to kill you years ago and save her some headaches. I'm going to kill you Zoycite, and then I'm going to make it my business to grind the Dark Kingdom into the dust."

Zoycite gathered the strength to raise his head only to see Piccolo with his palm facing straight towards him, energy gathering into a single sphere powerful enough to end Zoycite's life "Good riddance Zoycite." Piccolo said and moved to let loose with the energy.

Before he could however, a bright light shaped like a blade tore through the air and Piccolo's arm, severing it at the elbow. Shouting in pain, Piccolo grabbed the stump and turned to face those who had attacked him, the remaining three of the Four Generals; Jedite, Nephlite and Malachite. They were standing in a row, with Malachite holding out his hand, displaying he had been the one to throw the attack "So," He said in a calm tone "You've betrayed us after all Piccolo. How… unsurprising."

Piccolo glowered at the three that stood before him, realising he was in trouble. Out of the Four Generals, Piccolo knew that the biggest threats to him would be Malachite and Nephlite if they ever allied against him. And with his arm severed, Piccolo doubted his ability to take on the three remaining Generals to any great extent. If they attacked him one by one then he might have beaten them, but all at the same time…

Malachite smiled as he saw Piccolo's indecision, out of the Generals, he was the most dangerous "So it's come to this then has it Piccolo? You openly betray the Dark Kingdom when you're surrounded and outnumbered? I think it isn't Zoycite that's the pathetic one, your own actions have doomed you and still you think you can fight us? I will enjoy putting you in your place before we take you to Beryl, she will decide your fate with a certain amount of relish."

Piccolo didn't say anything, he didn't need to be told what Queen Beryl would do to him, he had seen it happen to others and had hoped he would never see it again. Regardless of that, he would never go quietly; they would have to drag his dead and bleeding body before he submitted to Beryl again. Preparing himself for death, Piccolo gained what energy he could and snarled "If I'm being taken to Beryl, it'll be only because I'm dead Malachite. You want to try your luck against me?"

Malachite nodded "For some time now, yes." He made a motion with his hand and Nephlite walked forward and drew up his hand into a motion for attack. Beside him, Jedite did the same while Malachite also raised both his hands to let loose a magical attack "And now," Malachite aid in his calm manner "You begin to die an agonising death."

Piccolo raised his remaining arm to defend himself only to be interrupted by a shout of "YOU LEAVE MR. PICCOLO ALONE!!!" And a blast of energy that hit directly between the Four Generals and kicked up a cloud of dust that blinded the sights of all. Realising that Gohan had given him a brilliant opportunity, Piccolo dove through the dust straight towards Malachite. The General (Who was already unbalanced) was amazed when Piccolo came forth and struck him directly in the face, sending him sailing back.

Piccolo quickly dove forward and struck Malachite in the stomach with his elbow while the General was still flying through the air. Malachite hit the ground roughly and screamed in agony when Piccolo landed by stamping both his feet of the General's chest. Looking around him, Piccolo noticed that Gohan was in trouble. Although Jedite had been knocked to the ground, Nephlite was using Gohan's injured shoulder as an advantage an attacked his weakened side ferociously.

Piccolo drew back his hand and threw a blast of energy that struck Nephlite in the back though it was only strong enough to send him crashing through the air and hitting the ground some metres away. Piccolo dashed to Gohan's side, relieved to see that he wasn't too badly hurt "You OK Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan asked looking at Piccolo's severed arm with a great deal of concern.

Not wanting the young boy to worry lest he become distracted from the fight, Piccolo nodded "Don't worry, I'll see to it before long."

By this time, Malachite had risen to his feet and was glaring at the two with pure hatred "Is this it Piccolo?" He demanded "You betray us for some half-breed barbarian?!"

"Shut up." Gohan whispered. Piccolo looked at the boy and felt himself edge to the side slightly, the body language Gohan was showing and his tone of voice put him in mind of a fuse that was just about to reach the bomb.

"And why should I do that half breed? I'll see you and the Namek begging for mercy from Queen Beryl before this day ends! And I'll personally see to it that you, you little mongrel, have your head paraded throughout the Dark Kingdom."

Gohan raised his head and Piccolo found himself stepping back a little from the sheer rage on his face. When he later found out about what Gohan had been through his entire life, Piccolo realised that Gohan had found an opportunity to vent eleven years of pent up frustration. Raising his hand, Gohan started to speak in a monotone voice "I told you," The energy Gohan spiked and the sphere he had formed grew as large as his head. For an instant, Piccolo could have sworn that Gohan's head flashed gold "To shut UP!"

The sphere was thrown and Malachite threw his own magical attack in response. Gohan's attack ripped through the magic like paper and struck the astonished Malachite on the arm, disintegrating flesh and bone alike until the attack had passed and nothing remained of Malachite's arm past his shoulder. The General collapsed in agony, too convulsed in pain to even scream.

Gohan collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted while Piccolo looked on in amazement. For such an attack to be launched and to tear down Malachite's defences like they didn't even exist must mean that there was more to Gohan than met the eye "Are you alright Gohan? Piccolo asked.

Gohan nodded slightly, breathing heavily as he answered "I'm… OK Mr. Piccolo… Just need… a minute to… catch my breath."

Piccolo nodded and looked up, seeing Nephlite standing over Malachite and aiding him to his feet. Malachite looked at Gohan and Piccolo and the Namek saw fear in his eyes for the first time he could remember. Malachite took several deep breaths before croaking out "Re… Retreat back to the Palace. We ca… can get reinforcements th… there." Nephlite nodded and with a flash of light, the two disappeared, leaving only thin air behind. Another flash from behind Piccolo made him turn around, only to realise that Zoycite and Jedite had escaped as well.

Feeling more than a little cheated for not being able to get rid of Zoycite once and for all, Piccolo turned back to Gohan "We need to get out of here, there'll be reinforcements arriving soon. Can you walk?"

Gohan nodded and rose back to his feet "Will you be OK Mr. Piccolo. What about your arm?"

Piccolo looked down at the stub of an arm and sighed. He hated losing a limb, growing a new one always stung like crazy "I'll sort it out but for now we need to get going."

Gohan nodded and turned to go before noticing the stream "Hey Mr. Piccolo, do you think there's fish in there? Perhaps we could get something to…"

Wordlessly, Piccolo grabbed Gohan gently but firmly by his good shoulder and started to steer him away from the stream. He was not going to go through all that again…

To be continued…

**Well we're into double digits but still on the Dark Kingdom and how will Gohan and Piccolo escape? What's happening on the Moon Kingdom? And how much wood would a woodpecker peck if a woodpecker couldn't peck wood? Hope you enjoyed and remember to R&R!**


	11. Babidi's Oath

A Marriage of Convenience 

The study of any Wizard, whether good or bad, always fell into a certain stock type. Arcane books of knowledge were piled up in a haphazard way, shelves of scrolls were at every nook and cranny, a scarred table would be holding a large number of bubbling bottles of unidentifiable liquid and a stuffed alligator would be hanging from the rafters somewhere. Servants with overly large hunched backs and severe speaking disorders were recommended but not entirely needed.

Aside from the assistant, Babidi had all of these though he was damned if he knew where the alligator had come from.

The book cases themselves were of special importance as behind them lay a secret compartment known only to the sorcerer himself. Within it laid his greatest work and what he hoped would be his chance to escape from servitude and help him to claim the Dark Kingdom as his own. Babidi himself was in the main part of his study where he was looking over various scrolls and charts detailing the transportation spell he had cast only two days ago. It had taken so much magic and had left him exhausted him since that he was unable to do much up to this point.

To make matters worse, Queen Beryl had demanded that Babidi aid in the search of Piccolo and the Prince Gohan who had came to the Dark Kingdom with the Namek. While Babidi was more than happy to see the back of Piccolo, he was frustrated at Beryl's insistence that he be the one to find the two with magical means. Piccolo had been spending his years within the Dark Kingdom looking into magic himself and had become quite adept at using it, as Babidi had learned when all his efforts had come to nothing.

Babidi looked over one particular scroll which detailed the incantations needed to create a portal across the Galaxy. It was more of a mark of pride than anything; the spell had been entirely of his devising and looking over it made him smile in unadulterated pleasure at his own genius. But of course, the pride he got from the scroll was itself nothing compared to what he felt when he considered what his behind the cases which concealed his greatest project to date.

The compartment behind the book case right next to the door was quite large, having been created and sustained by Babidi's own magic for the last ten years. Within the compartment itself, there a lay a large container filled with dark magic designed to create the ultimate life form. And within only a few months, his plan would come to fruition and the Dark Kingdom would fall before him and Queen Beryl would grovel in the dirt at his feet. Babidi smiled at the thought of having the Queen slowly and painfully executed in retaliation for all the humiliations he had been through.

Putting those (Highly enjoyable) thoughts aside for the moment, Babidi once again looked down at the scrolls and smiled. His genius indeed knew no bounds…

These thoughts were interrupted by a sudden pounding on the door to Babidi's study. Looking up angrily, the Wizard snarled "Who's that?!"

"It's me, Malachite! Queen Beryl needs you to come to the Throne Room immediately, the Namek and half breed have been spotted!"

Babidi sighed in annoyance and walked over to the door, smirking as he opened it "You need a hand in searching for them then?" He taunted.

Malachite flushed in anger, his arm had been vaporised by the young Saiyan's attack two days ago, and Babidi had taken great pleasure in taunting the General at every opportunity he had. Malachite leaned forward over the Wizard "Just get your equipment for searching and bring it to the Throne Room now. The sooner I get my hands on that little Saiyan runt means I won't have to take my frustrations out on you Babidi."

Babidi acknowledged the threat, rushed back into his study to pick up several items and then came back to the door _"When Beryl is grovelling in the dirt,"_ Babidi thought to himself _"She won't be alone." _Not even bothering to grant Malachite eye contact, Babidi walked past him in the direction of the Throne Room, the door shutting and locking itself behind him.

Several minutes passed in which silence reigned within the study which was only broken by a faint tap-tapping sound that seemed to come from somewhere off in the distance. As time passed however, the tapping deepened and became a thudding that got closer and closer to the study itself. When it seemed that the noise couldn't get any louder, one of the walls exploded inwards as a bloodied green fist shot through the rocks that made up the wall of the study.

A huge cloud of dust shielded anything from sight for several seconds until it cleared and Piccolo stepped into the study from the hole nursing his knuckles. Knowing that Babidi had used safeguards against any attack formed by energy against the Palace itself, Piccolo had to punch a tunnel through the mountain that made up the foundation of the Palace of the Dark Kingdom. Gohan had offered to help but Piccolo couldn't bring himself to accept, the young boy's arm was still broken and needed medical attention as soon as possible if no permanent damage was to be done.

"We're finally through!" Gohan said in his excitement. He rushed through to the study and quickly looked around "That was great Mr. Piccolo! You're almost as strong as my grandfather!"

Piccolo knew that Gohan was giving a compliment but being compared to someone's grandfather really wasn't the best way to go about it. Seeing that the table in the centre of the room was littered with scrolls, Piccolo motioned towards the door "Go to the door and listen carefully Gohan," He said "I'll try and find the spell with the instructions on opening a portal." Gohan nodded and quickly went over to the door, listening carefully.

Piccolo reached down onto the table and picked up a scroll, the touch of paper feeling odd to his newly formed limb. It had taken a good amount of concentration and energy to form a new arm but it had been worth it to get through the mountain. Trying it with one arm would have probably worn it down to a stub. Piccolo looked at the scroll he had picked up and smiled, it was the one he'd been looking for. It didn't surprise him that Babidi would be the sort of person to lord over his achievements like this.

Looking over the incantations made Piccolo realise how much time and energy would be needed for him to perform the spell. He hadn't just spent the last eighteen years improving his strength but had also gone deep into magical studies, wanting a good defence against anything Babidi could throw against him. As a result, Piccolo knew that he would be able to create a portal that would transport him and Gohan to the Moon Kingdom but he'd need every ounce of concentration and energy he had to do it and there was no guarantee where they would land on the Moon Kingdom.

Piccolo looked behind him to the young boy standing watch at the door "Gohan," He called out "I want you to know that to open the portal to the Moon Kingdom, I'm going to be using a lot of energy and concentration. You'll be our only line of defence against anyone who tries to stop us. Do you think you can do that?"

Gohan didn't even hesitate for a second "Don't worry Mr. Piccolo! They won't get past me!" Piccolo gave Gohan a smile at that. Though far too young to be put through these events, he was living up to them like a true warrior. Although Piccolo could tell that deep down, Gohan was anything but a warrior like his father.

Turning back to the scroll, Piccolo took a breath and began to recite the incantations that would open the portal. Behind Piccolo, Gohan felt the hairs on the back of his head beginning to rise. The magic used was dark and foreboding sounding to the Saiyan and he found himself unintentionally balling his hand into a fist as Piccolo continued to chant the words to open the portal.

After several minutes where Gohan remained stationary by the door while Piccolo continued the incantations, a shimmering light in front of the Namek appeared which started to grow into a circular shape. The circle grew bigger and bigger as Piccolo continued the chanting and its light grew brighter and Gohan felt hope surge in his heart _"We'll be back in the Moon Kingdom soon…" _

His face fell however when he heard footsteps from beyond the door. They were quiet at first but gradually grew louder. Then the voices could be heard, Gohan recognised one as belonging to Malachite while the other was one he never heard before. The voices were faint but increased in noise as did the footsteps.

"… Waste of my time." I can't believe you'd want me to spend my valuable time on such a pointless chase. You could have at least bothered to look for them yourself…" Came the voice that Gohan didn't recognise.

"Enough Babidi!" Snarled the voice of Malachite, unwittingly letting Gohan know the name of the Wizard "I've had it with your unstoppable whining. You are a servant to the Dark Kingdom and it would help you to remember that!" The silence which followed those words made it clear to Gohan that Babidi had stopped out of sheer fury. The silence was broken by Malachite calling out "Look Sorcerer, if you are unable to comprehend that you are a mere insect before the full might of the Dark Kingdom then your life will be very, very short. Do I make myself clear?"

The way in which Babidi choked out his answer of "Yes." Made it obvious that Babidi wanted the truth behind Malachite's statement to be false. The footsteps then started again with them getting ever closer.

Gohan looked over his shoulder to see Piccolo still in the depths of the incantations and the portal was now big enough to get Gohan through but not enough for Piccolo. Taking a large breath, Gohan stepped back from the door and stood next to the wall where the door would swing in and prevent him from being seen by Babidi and Malachite. He then began to concentrate and gather his energy for a blast attack, too tired and hungry too make a long stand, Gohan was throwing everything he had into one attack.

As the door opened inwards, it was Malachite who entered first. It was lucky for Babidi that he was for the Wizard lacked the instincts that Malachite had when it came to combat. Without even looking around, the Dark Kingdom General shot to the floor, Gohan's energy attack missing him by scant inches. The attack instead hit the book case and the compartment behind it. The attack struck through the bookcase as if it were paper and struck the wall of the hidden compartment with catastrophic force.

The explosion which followed blew the compartment and everything within it to pieces. Gohan shielded his face with his good arm and felt the heat of the flame of the explosion sear through the last of his threads on the sleeve of his shirt. The noise from the explosion continued for some time and the dust which had been kicked up was also lingering.

Malachite gingerly picked his head up from the ground, seeing that most of the area between him and his attacker was obscured by dust looked to the side where the compartment had been. All that was left was a few scraps of twisted metal that were only just holding together. Something also caught Malachite's eye in the compartment and he turned his head to look at it. Where once stood some sort of containment machine, only the base was left which itself was almost melted and within that base, a large pool of pick liquid could be seen. The liquid was very brightly coloured and just by looking at it Malachite could see that it was a focus of great magic.

This pink substance quickly began to shrink rapidly as the magic which had been used to form it vanished into nothingness. For just a moment, a face seemed to form on the pink substance that was flat and had almost no features on it. For a second, the mouth opened slightly and Malachite could hear a low, mournful voice silently call out "Buu…" Before the face and the substance it was made of vanished forever.

The dust cleared with the disappearance of the pink substance and Malachite turned to see who had launched the energy at him. Seeing that it had been the same boy who had took his arm, Malachite exploded in fury and rose to his feet "YOU!" He bellowed in pure rage "I'LL KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE SAIYAN MONGREL!!!"

Gohan raised his arm to defend himself from any attack when another scream interrupted both him and Malachite from continuing. Babidi raced out from beyond the doorway where he had been hiding from the attack and headed straight to where the compartment had once been. After seeing the containment machine had been destroyed and the substance within its remains gone, Babidi twisted around with rage in his eyes and confronted Gohan "You!" He screeched in much the same way as Malachite had done "Don't you realise what you've done?! I'll have your head for this you insufferable little runt!"

Gohan stepped back slightly under the weight of both Malachite's and Babidi's hate filled glares. The energy attack he had thrown at Malachite had exhausted Gohan and he knew that he'd stand no chance against even one of them at this point. All he could do was hope that he had bought enough time for Piccolo…

As if in answer to his silent prayers, a green object flew out from behind Gohan that struck Malachite in the face, sending him crashing to the ground. When the object retreated, Gohan realised that it was Piccolo's arm, stretched out. The arm receded and Piccolo called out "Gohan! Get through the portal now!"

Gohan quickly twisted around and ran towards the portal, noticing a haggard looking Piccolo glaring at the still standing Babidi. Gohan almost paused to make sure his friend was alright but the tone in Piccolo's voice made him realise that there was no time right now. He dived through the portal as it started to shrink; Piccolo smiled at Gohan's escape and turned to Babidi "I hope we meet again Babidi. I really do." And with that, Piccolo dove through the portal leaving Babidi and Malachite alone. Both of them were powerless to act as the portal shrank and disappeared into thin air.

After several moments of silence, Malachite rose unsteadily to his feet and glared at Babidi "You have a lot of explaining to do Sorcerer. Not only did you allow Piccolo to find a way to escape from our grasp but you stood back and did nothing while they did so! I'm sure Queen Beryl will have much to say about that." And with that, Malachite turned on his heel and started to walk towards the Throne Room, no doubt going to blame every part of this disaster on Babidi.

Babidi himself however made absolutely no movement as Malachite departed apart from gazing at the destroyed containment machine. While outwardly calm, he was inwardly seething at the thought of his greatest achievement being destroyed just as it was on the cusp of creation and Babidi was within reaching distance of true power. Looking back at the space where the portal had previously hung, Babidi swore that he would avenge his loss on the person responsible.

"_I will make that Saiyan brat pay in blood." _Babidi thought maliciously. He revenge would be sweet indeed…

XxX

It should be noted at this point that Piccolo wasn't quite as well versed in magic as he told Gohan. True, he could open a portal to the Moon Kingdom, but he lacked the skill and experience to guide it to where he wanted it exactly. Only through sheer luck did the portal manage to avoid popping up about a hundred feet underground.

In fact, by sheer luck, the portal actually opened in the Moon Kingdom's Palace.

By sheer luck, Gohan and Piccolo landed in a room quite close to the hub of the Palace.

By sheer misfortune however, it was a bathroom.

By sheer misfortune they both landed in the bath which was full of water at the time.

By sheer misfortune, it was also full of Queen Serenity.

XxX

"YOU BIG DOPE!"

It was half an hour later and Princess Serena was welcoming Gohan back to the Palace. After ten minutes of complete horror and embarrassment on the part of Gohan and Queen Serenity along with extreme confusion on the part of Piccolo, the last twenty minutes had been spent explaining themselves to Queen Serenity and only now was there a reunion between Gohan and the Princesses. Everyone was currently in the Throne Room with Queen Serenity wearing more layers than was strictly needed at this time of afternoon…

Despite her initial outburst upon seeing Gohan for the first time in two days, Serena rushed straight too him and threw a large hug around his neck. She was soon followed by the other Princesses who clamoured around Gohan, all relieved and overjoyed to see the young boy alive though slightly worse for wear. To the side, Piccolo, Queen Serenity, General Cosmos and Luna looked on in silence.

"I was so worried about you!" Serena said as she tightened her grip around Gohan "After you went into the portal I thought you'd never come back! We even got all of our magical equipment looking for you as soon as we got rid of the last of the Dark Kingdom soldiers…" Serena paused and loosened her grip on Gohan before stepping back and looking directly into his eyes "Just don't ever scare us like that again Gohan, please."

Gohan nodded enthusiastically "Don't worry about that Serena, I don't plan on returning to the Dark Kingdom anytime soon."

Princess Rei smiled "Not without us to protect you at least!" And she slapped him on the bad shoulder without thinking. The look on Gohan's face made Rei quickly withdraw her hand and cry "Oh Gohan, I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking…"

"I think that Gohan should get his shoulder looked at." Queen Serenity cut in "I have a doctor waiting in his room if he would like to go."

Serena and the other Princesses immediately started to insist that they should take Gohan to the doctor themselves, not wanting him to fall into any more malevolent portals along the way. As Gohan was led away by Serena and the others, only Queen Serenity, Cosmos, Luna and Piccolo were left. Queen Serenity felt oddly unafraid and relaxed about the situation, despite the fact only half an hour ago she'd been rudely interrupted by both Piccolo and Gohan in her bath. If she hadn't been lulled asleep by the soothing water, she'd have been alerted by the Bell of Tucana like everyone else.

She had been overjoyed to see Gohan (After the initial shock of course) but she was still unsure about the Namek who had come through the portal with the boy. Though Gohan had professed that Piccolo was the one who saved him and insisted that Queen Serenity had no need to summon any guards during the brief reunion between the group.

Unsurprisingly, Cosmos was the one to first raise the question "Just who are you Namek?" He demanded.

Piccolo glanced at Cosmos out the corner of his eye and knew what Cosmos was immediately "My name is Piccolo and I helped Gohan get out of the Dark Kingdom."

"For which we're very grateful of course," Interceded Queen Serenity who shot Cosmos a quick glare before continuing "But it does seem a little… odd. I had heard no news of the Namek High Council sending a warrior to the Dark Kingdom on any form of mission."

There was a hook to that question but Piccolo knew to avoid it "I was working on my own; I have my own grudge to bear against the Dark Kingdom." This was more or less true it must be said.

"And what grudge is that pray tell?" Cosmos demanded.

Piccolo knew that Cosmos was bringing up a perfectly reasonable question, but anyone who used 'pray tell' in _any _form of conversation wasn't a person who easily made friends. Piccolo looked Cosmos directly in the eye for his answer "My reasons are my own. You don't have to know them."

"Then why should we trust you? Or is the word of a Saiyan the only evidence you're going to give us?"

The question confirmed what Piccolo already thought about Cosmos and he replied with "Show me as many soldiers of the Dark Kingdom and I will strike them down where they stand."

Cosmos smirked as if he had wanted that answer "Well as the Dark Kingdom soldiers who attacked the Palace are all dead by now, may I suggest that you prove yourself by aiding the Moon Kingdom in an attack against our enemies?"

Piccolo smirked in return "Tell me the time and place and I'll bring the entire Dark Kingdom to heel." It was complete hyperbole at this point; Piccolo was too exhausted because of the energy expended earlier that he doubted whether or not he'd be able to fight anyone. But he wasn't going to let anyone still breathing know that.

"Three days from now we'll be sending reinforcements to an outpost on our Southern borders. You're welcome to be posted there if you like."

Piccolo shot Cosmos a glare at the sarcasm "I'll think about it." He growled "But right now I'll go see how Gohan is doing. Your Majesty." Nodding at Queen Serenity, Piccolo turned on his heel and headed out of the room to where Gohan was being looked after.

After he had left, Queen Serenity looked at Cosmos "Was there any need for sounding so suspicious?" She asked.

"Your Majesty, it's my duty to assure you and the Kingdom are safe from all threat. How could I simply let a stranger into the Palace simply on the word of a Saiyan?"

"The Saiyan has a name Cosmos," Luna interrupted "And what is more, I trust his judgement on this. I don't believe we'll get the full story quite yet but from what Prince Gohan has already told us, Piccolo has proven himself."

Cosmos looked at Luna as if she was speaking in another language "Nevertheless, I must insist on performing surveillance procedures on this Piccolo."

Queen Serenity paused but then nodded her head "Very well Cosmos, I agree to that but I must insist that I believe it to be unneeded."

Cosmos nodded "Very well your Majesty, I'll make the arrangements." He then bowed slightly and walked out of the room.

"Was he even listening to the last part you said?" Luna asked the Queen causing Serenity to smile a little. She then stopped and clutched the piece of paper in her hand ever tighter. It was a message that had arrived only this morning several hours before Gohan had come back.

It was a message from the Saiyans.

A date had been confirmed for the Wedding…

To be continued…

**Well that was an uphill struggle. Sorry to everyone for keeping you waiting but I really needed a break from writing this for a while as I was determined to write some other stuff as well. I'm not too sure about this chapter, I think I'll come back and re-do it as it just seemed a wee bit sloppy to me. Oh and Shairk, Goku is a level one Super Saiyan, I changed the name because I never like the 'Super' bit, never seemed right for it. Anyway, read and review!**


	12. The Present

Marriage of Convenience 

Everyone loves a good present, even without decent wrapping paper. The best gifts are of course those that speak to us on a personal level and bring us happiness in times of sadness. For Prince Gohan, he had just received such a gift. Not only had the Saiyan spaceship brought news of the war against the Freezing Empire from the planet Vegeta but also, Gohan had received a Com-Screen from his parents.

The Com-Screen was a fairly recent luxury item to the Central Quadrant. Using the technology which had allowed video screening on a single planet, the Com-Screen was able to send signal across the Galaxy to another Com-Screen and allow those who owned the devices to talk to each other. They were quite expensive (Even to a family such as Prince Gohan's) and were still rare in the Galaxy with letters still being the preferred method of long distance communication. Gohan's father must have pulled some strings in order to get his hands on a pair.

The Com-Screen had been set up in Gohan's room some time ago and currently he and the Princesses were crowded into his bedroom as Gohan put the final touches to the frequency of the machine, it needed too be just right in order to get a signal from Vegeta. The Com-Screen was four foot by four, grey in colour where the screen wasn't and had a total of three dials at the bottom to tune in the frequency and two buttons, one to switch the machine on and off and the other to send the signal to the second machine to let the people on the other side that you were calling them.

Twisting the final dial into place so that the number was correct for his parent's Com-Screen, Gohan stood back and pressed the button to send the signal to Vegeta. He had spent the previous night being attended to by the resident doctor who had managed to patch up the worst of Gohan's injuries. Many of his scratches and cuts were healing over nicely and though his arm was in a sling, it wouldn't be too long before he'd be able to use it again.

Gohan smiled nervously and mumbled "I hope I don't wake them up…" Before pressing the button to send the signal and stepping back a few paces, waiting for the screen to brighten up as the message was (Hopefully) received. For a few agonising moments, the screen remained blurred as the signal wasn't received and Serena could see Gohan look more and more crestfallen with each passing second. It seemed as if no response would be received when suddenly, the screen cleared before switching to a clear picture of a World millions of miles away.

Serena was surprised to see the somewhat Spartan settings of the other room. There were few luxuries and only decorated with a few chairs and a very large round table at the other end. The person on the other side of the screen also surprised Serena somewhat a woman with her black hair held up quite high with several band, plain yellow and black dress and no jewellery anywhere about her person. When her face came into focus, it went form nervous worry to lighting up with joy when she saw Gohan.

"Gohan! I'm so glad you've called! How have you been? Have you still been studying since you arrived? How have they been feeding you?" Pausing only to take breath, she then seemed to notice that Gohan's arm was in a sling "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" She screeched "DON'T TELL ME THAT SOMEBODY'S BEEN PICKING ON MY POOR BABY?! WHO BROKE YOUR ARM!?"

Serena and the rest of the Princesses found that they had all edged towards the end of the bed out of sight of the person on the Com-Screen, the sudden outburst shocking them somewhat. Gohan merely smiled and answered "I'm OK mother, it's a long story about what happened but I'm fine. It'll be out of the sling before long. Is father with you at all?"

Gohan's mother calmed down considerably at the question and smiled sadly "He's already gone back to the front Gohan. He'll be returning in two months, I'm sure you can speak to him then." Gohan nodded sadly, the disappointment of not seeing his father telling obviously "But anyway how have you been? Have you met Princess Serena yet?"

Gohan nodded enthusiastically "Yeah and she and me are great friends!"

Gohan's mother smiled "I'm not surprised, I bet you too are hitting it right off. I bet she's falling in love with you already."

"MOTHER!" Gohan shouted out, flushing with embarrassment as the Princesses started giggling while Serena herself blushed a bright pink and groaned somewhat at her over enthusiastic mother in law.

Gohan's mother blinked in surprise at the other noise coming from out of sight behind Gohan "Is someone else there Gohan?" She asked.

Gohan nodded "Yeah," He motioned to Serena and beckoned her to come in front of the screen, Serena did so and smiled nervously at the woman on the screen "Mother, this is Princess Serena, my friend."

Serena gulped and bowed her head slightly "I'm very pleased to meet you Mrs…"

"Call me Chi-Chi," The older woman said "I don't think we should be hung up on formality considering you'll be marrying my son."

Serena nodded "Very well… Chi-Chi." Overlooking anybody's formal title while they weren't a friend was a bit odd to Serena who had lived with the court formality all her life.

Chi-Chi then turned back to Gohan, beaming "Oh Gohan I knew you'd get a good bride! Serena is so well behaved and well mannered! I can't wait to see what my grandchildren will be like!"

Serena almost died on the spot at this and her entire face turned bright red. She wished that she'd have known what Gohan's mother was like before actually speaking with her. She could have organised a retinue of bodyguards or even an entire regiment…

Gohan for his part was just as embarrassed as Serena though he wasn't in possession of 'the facts' as Serena was, talking about grandchildren when he was still eleven would have caused any boy to cringe. The Princesses themselves responded by laughing at the discomfort at the two "Is someone else there?" Chi-Chi demanded.

Gohan nodded and motioned for the other Princesses to stand in front of the screen "These are my friends, Princess Ami, Princess Rei, Princess Mina and Princess Lita. They're from the Confederation of Planets."

After a few words of greeting Chi-Chi smiled at her son "I'm pleased to see that you've been getting along so well with other people Gohan."

The young boy nodded enthusiastically "Yeah and these aren't the only friend I've made. There's also Princess Sasami," Gohan had received a letter from the Princess only that day and still had it in his pocket "Queen Serenity, Luna, Kami and Mr. Piccolo!"

Chi-Chi smiled with pride at her son "My word, you have been busy Gohan. I want you to tell me everything that's been happening since you've arrived!"

"Well it's a long story…" Gohan muttered but when he saw the look in his mother's eyes quickly added "But I'm sure I'll be able to give you every single detail." He took a deep breath and began with "When I first arrived on the Moon Kingdom…"

XxX

In another section of the Moon Kingdom, a meeting was taking place between Queen Serenity, her Ministers and Generals and the Ambassador from Namek with Kami beside him. The Ambassador was surprisingly young and a head shorter than Kami. He was a young adult in Namek terms and wore plain white and brown robes. Despite his youth however, the Ambassador was proving himself to be as intelligent as Kami himself.

The meeting was taking place in the Throne Room where Queen Serenity was seated in her Throne and her Ministers standing in rows, facing the Ambassador. After the traditional greetings, Queen Serenity smiled at the young Ambassador and said "I thank you for coming Ambassador Dende, how has Guru been since I last saw him?"

Dende bowed his head and answered "He is well your Majesty. The Namek High Council sends their regards to you and the entire Moon Kingdom. Is your daughter well?"

Queen Serenity smiled as she answered "Very well thank you for asking. She is currently in the company with the Princesses of the Planets and Prince Gohan of the Ox Kingdom."

As if the name of the Prince soured his temperament, General Cosmos whipped out a question "What has the Namek High Council said of aid to our war against the Dark Kingdom?"

Dende turned to face General Cosmos, remembering the warnings Kami had given him about the man. Dende stuck to an honest answer "Directly, the Namek High Council is yet unwilling to completely commit themselves to a military conflict. They are however willing to supply you with weapons, knowledge and ships to fight the Dark Kingdom. The High Council has also begun to request the same aid to be given by other Worlds in the Northern Quadrant. We so far have been able to garner the support of five other Worlds for your war."

Cosmos nodded at this. It was less than he had hoped but as much as he had expected "We thank you for this aid Ambassador," He said sincerely "I only wish that it could have come sooner."

Dende's stern expression didn't change when he answered Cosmos's statement "I must apologise for that General Cosmos, the Namek High Council was unaware of the true threat posed by the Dark Kingdom until recently."

Before Cosmos could respond with any form of barb, Kami cut in with "May the Ambassador learn how this aid is to be used General?"

Cosmos paused before nodding somewhat reluctantly. He motioned to a soldier standing guard by the door with his hand and pulled a small cylinder device from his pocket. As the soldier closed the curtains of the Throne Room, the darkness allowed Cosmos to switch on the hologram projection device in his hand and held it steady, showing a map of the Central Quadrant in mid air. Cosmos pressed a button on the cylinder device and several pinpoints of light were switched on near the bottom of the map.

"As can be seen, our major force concentrations are located in our bases that are close enough to the Dark Kingdom to mount a strike should the need arise but still deep enough within our own territory to avoid another disaster like the one we suffered several weeks ago. We are currently building up our forces so that we can launch a minor invasion and take control of the three Systems closest to our borders. From that point on, a war of attrition will most likely take place. With the aid from our Allies and our own resources, I believe that we should be able to destroy the influence of the Dark Kingdom completely within nineteen years."

Queen Serenity closed her eyes and put her head in her hands "Nineteen years of bloodshed," She said silently and with incredible grief "Can we survive war on that scale?"

In reply, Cosmos smiled sadly and quoted the lyrics to a song famous in the Moon Kingdom's Army. It was almost an oath for many within the ranks:

"_When evil stalks across the skies_

_I'll never hold nor flight nor fly_

_But fight for a much better day_

_Off beyond the stars and far away."_

Queen Serenity looked up and sighed a little "A song is all very well General Cosmos, but we nee more than a few inspiring lyrics to gain the advantage over our enemy. Do we have anything for that?"

Cosmos smiled like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat would "As a matter of fact, we do your Majesty," Cosmos pressed another button on the cylinder device and the picture changed, showing a real life view of a desolate World "This is the World of Metaria, the centre of power for the Dark Kingdom." He said with more than a hint of pride "We have just set one of our satellites into place to monitor any form of major space travel from and to Metaria. With this, we can know every significant movement they make at any time."

"And what if the satellite is discovered?" Dende asked.

Cosmos glanced at the Ambassador out of the corner of his eye "The risks are low considering the protection we have placed on the satellite. Nevertheless, there is a self destruct mechanism to prevent the satellite from falling into enemy hands." Dende nodded at the answer. It seemed that Cosmos wasn't quite as arrogant as he appeared…

Queen Serenity clapped her hands together "This is wonderful General Cosmos! But can it get close images of the World itself?"

Cosmos shook his head "I'm afraid not your Majesty. But it can detect the build up of any magic to a great extent. With our soldiers on constant rotational shifts examining the images we receive, we'll know what the Dark Kingdom is up to before they even realise it."

Queen Serenity smiled at this. It now appeared as if the Moon Kingdom had a distinct advantage over their enemies for the foreseeable future. But there would be time to celebrate later "Now Dende," She began "When can the Moon Kingdom expect the supplies promised?"

XxX

The meeting had gone well with those of the Moon Kingdom happy they now had aid and an advantage over their enemies and Dende was pleased that he wouldn't have to go to the Namek High Council telling them that the Moon Kingdom insisted on direct military aid. Along with the Northern Quadrant, the Nameks and even the Saiyans, the Moon Kingdom would now be able to stand toe to toe with their enemies.

Despite that however, Kami was deeply worried. Having met with Dende several days before the meeting with Queen Serenity, he had managed to gain the truth about the real reason why the Namek High Council had decided to aid the Moon Kingdom in its war.

The Dark Kingdom had discovered the existence of the Dragon Orbs.

The Dragon Orbs had been created eons ago by the pure energy of a single Namek. The Spheres allowed a person to summon a great Dragon before them and grant a single wish that they have. Practically nothing was beyond the power that the Dragon provided; even the dead could be given life once more with the power of the Orbs. It had been the greatest source of power for the Nameks and their greatest secret for centuries.

It was currently unknown how the Dark Kingdom had discovered the existence of the Orbs though Kami was willing to bet that treachery was behind the action. It was difficult to admit but not all Nameks were above the trappings of power that the Dark Kingdom offered. If the Dark Kingdom got its hands on the Dragon Orbs… Kami knew that even one wish would be enough to bring the entire Universe under Queen Beryl's command.

Both he and Dende were currently seated in one of the many pagodas of the public garden in the Palace of the Moon Kingdom. Dende looked on with a good deal of admiration at the garden "It's amazing how little of the gardens were damaged considering the attack on the Palace just before we arrived."

Kami nodded before answering "From what I have heard, the attack was ill thought out. Rather than concentrating themselves, the soldiers of the Dark Kingdom spread themselves out thinly and were easy prey to a co-ordinated counter attack by the Moon Kingdom's forces." Though several soldiers were badly injured, no deaths had occurred and the demoralised Dark Kingdom attack force had been quickly wiped out. The counter attack had been led by the Celestial Senshi themselves and they had performed admirably, destroying many of the enemy in their wake.

The Palace had suffered some damage but this was quickly being repaired by various hired experts. The distant sound of banging hammers could be heard every now and then along with the occasional outburst of blasphemy as the hammer missed its targets and struck their hands. The noise was quite alien to those accustomed to the quieter background of Namek and Dende was still getting used to it while Kami couldn't help but smile at his discomfort "Don't worry," He said "You'll learn to shut it out after a while."

Dende nodded but frowned at the same time, looking over his shoulder to look around the gardens once more "That's odd," He muttered in a thoughtful tone "I don't remember being told of there being another Namek here."

Kami twisted around to see where Dende was looking and found himself gaping in surprise. The Namek who stood some distance away from Kami and Dende was strangely… familiar. The Namek was striding towards them with a look of strong intent in his face that only deepened as he grew closer, his eyes fixed solely on Kami as he walked. He finally stopped at the entrance of the pagoda and paused before saying "So… you're Kami then?"

Kami nodded before his memory dredged up a particular unpleasant realisation "King Piccolo?" He asked while drawing himself up and preparing to attack the figure standing in front of him.

"You're wrong Kami." Piccolo said flatly "King Piccolo died eighteen years ago. I'm the result of his last attempt of revenge. I'm his son, Piccolo."

There was a long pause at this as both Dende and Kami wondered why Piccolo had come to them like this "What are you doing here?" Kami demanded his mind still in shock at what had just been revealed to him.

"Didn't Queen Serenity tell you about what had happened with Gohan?"

Kami and Dende looked at each other at the seemingly random question before Kami answered "She mentioned that Prince Gohan had taken part in the fighting against the Dark Kingdom but the meeting with the Ministers had prevented telling her everything. But why would you be involved in…" Sudden realisation hit Kami as he remembered something else "The attack on the Moon Kingdoms Space Fleet several weeks ago, you led it didn't you? You've been a soldier for the Dark Kingdom all these years…"

Piccolo nodded stiffly in reply "It wasn't by my own will."

"You could have resisted if it wasn't." Kami snapped in fury at Piccolo's seeming indifference at his actions.

"I could have also been obliterated by refusing to obey. Your point?" Piccolo retorted, not wanting to be lectured by the person who he placed a good amount of blame on for his servitude to the Dark Kingdom.

Not wanting an all out war to erupt between the two, Dende quickly cut in "Why are you here Piccolo?"

Piccolo glanced at Dende, seemingly sizing him up before answering his question "I came here to tell you I'm fighting against the Dark Kingdom for my own reasons. If you don't like that, tough."

Kami glared at Piccolo, not disguising his distaste when he demanded "And why should we even trust you? You know as well as I do Piccolo that I have good reason not to believe you."

Piccolo sneered at the answer "Believe what you like Kami, I'm not a slave to Queen Beryl's whims anymore and I've sworn to grind the Dark Kingdom into powder for what I've had to endure. I've come here to tell you that much at least. If you don't like it, see if I care." And with that, Piccolo turned around and marched off, leaving a fuming Kami and puzzled Dende.

"May I ask what sours your relationship so much?" Dende asked after a pause.

Kami looked at the younger Namek with some confusion "You mean you don't know? I'd have thought everyone on Namek would have known what occurred all those years ago…"

Dende shook his head "I have been in the Northern Quadrant most of my life remember. I've had little time to learn about the adventures of the most travelled of our people."

Kami sighed as he gave the shortened version of a story he had told many a time before "When I was first starting on my travels in the Galaxy, I realised that all the temptations of power could sway me as they had done so many before. I decided to undergo a spiritual process that would separate my evil side from me permanently. I undertook the process and it was successful, up to a point. I had thought that my evil side would simply be a shade, something that wouldn't even be real and easy to overcome. To my dismay however, my evil side was a flesh and blood Namek who was equal to me in power. He escaped and then started plans to conquer the Galaxy. He was eventually defeated by Kakarott, the father of Prince Gohan; it would seem that his legacy lives on however…"

Dende nodded in understanding "And you distrust Piccolo because of what his father was?"

Kami nodded his agreement "King Piccolo was the embodiment of all that was evil inside of me, anything that was spawned by him is sure to carry the same taint."

"Perhaps you should talk to Prince Gohan before making such a judgement." Dende said "If what Piccolo says is true, perhaps he can provide some insight into Piccolo that you're lacking."

Kami gave Dende a very long; hard look "If you had known what deeds King Piccolo had committed," He said finally "You would not be saying such nonsense." Without another word, Kami rose from his seat and exited the pagoda, leaving Dende alone with his thoughts.

XxX

"… And that's how it's been since I arrived." Gohan finished, by now quite out of breath after telling his mother everything that had happened since his arrival at the Moon Kingdom.

Chi-Chi nodded, as the story unfolded, she had given expressions of fear, shock, anger and happiness at Gohan's exploits and had privately sworn to introduce General Cosmos to a certain infamous kitchen utensil… Beyond that though, she was proud of how her son had handled the difficulties that had come before him and tears glistened her eyes "Oh Gohan, once your father hears of this he'll be so proud of you! Your grandfather couldn't have done better!"

Gohan blushed and smiled in an embarrassed way, not used to that sort of praise. Chi-Chi then looked at Serena and gave her a smile "And thank you Serena, for being a true friend to Gohan, goodness knows he needed it." Serena nodded her head at the praise and felt some empathy towards her mother-in-law. She was a truly strong woman.

Chi-Chi's smile suddenly disappeared as she looked up past the Com-Screen in her house to where a clock hung on the wall "Oh my!" She called out "I'm afraid that we'll have to stop here, the Com-Screens are so expensive to run that I'm afraid we can only do this every few weeks. But remember that we can still contact each other though letters so I'm expecting one with the transport from the Moon Kingdom remember!"

Gohan nodded sadly at this "Alright mother, I'll send a letter on the transport to Vegeta today."

Chi-Chi smiled at her son's sadness "Don't worry Gohan, we'll still be able be able to talk once a month. And I hope that you'll be able to keep up with your studies in the meantime." There was an extra inflection on that last sentence which caused Gohan to quickly interject to save his skin.

"Don't worry mother, I'm still keeping up with my studies. The Princesses and I are even going to the Museum of Science in two days time. Queen Serenity herself organised it."

"Did she?" Serena asked, her mouth smiling the sort of smile people usually have when they've been told that the test they were expecting in a weeks time had now been rescheduled to be taking place in ten minutes.

Gohan, ever innocent to Serena's less than enthusiastic approach to academics smiled "Yeah, she told me about it this morning when I came out of the infirmary. I'm looking forward to it so much!" Out of the others, only Ami seemed to agree with this assessment.

Chi-Chi beamed at this "I'm glad to hear this Gohan. But I'm afraid this is where I'll have to go. Please take care of yourself."

"Don't worry mother, I will do." Gohan said. His mother gave a sad smile before the Com-Screen went blank, showing nothing but the darkness. Gohan got up and switched the machine off; his expression was downcast while doing so.

Not noticing this, Serena spoke up "And when were you planning to tell us about the museum trip?"

Gohan looked rather surprised "I thought your mother told you about it. She also said that she had some important news for us while we were there."

Serena slumped her head forward and groaned a little "Probably about me getting another area of learning to study. As if I don't have enough already…"

"Oh cheer up Serena, I've found that the more you study, the easier it is to think." Gohan said, smiling as he did so.

Serena looked at him blankly before going over to the bed, grabbing a pillow and raising it above her head "Come here Gohan." She said in a monotone voice as she walked towards the young boy, preparing to whack him with the pillow."

Gohan stepped back and raised his hands in a feeble protest "Now come on Serena don't get… Ow! That was my eye!"

XxX

The Throne Room of the Dark Kingdom was feared within its own Realm even more so than by the other powers of the Galaxy. After all, those who were in the Dark Kingdom actually knew what happened in there…

Babidi was one who was quickly learning why the Throne Room was so feared. He was currently bound with dark magic shaped like tentacles on his arms with another tentacle slowly choking him. Queen Beryl was the only other occupant in the Throne Room and watched smiled as Babidi suffered before her "You have failed me for the last time Babidi. Unless you can think of a very good reason for me not too, I will end your miserable existence this moment."

Babidi thought rapidly as the tentacle tightened around his neck. A thought occurred to him, a long shot but if he could pull it off… "Yes your Majesty! I can do so!"

Beryl flexed a finger and the tentacles loosened slightly "Then tell me what the reason is."

Babidi rasped and tried to recover his breath as he told her "I know of a spell that can corrupt a person to follow my will. To all appearances they will be the same but under this spell I can command them to do my bidding at any point. All I need is that their hearts become submerged in darkness for an instant and then they'll be our spy. Think of it your Majesty! Anyone within the very Palace of the Dark Kingdom itself could be our… your eternal slave and none would know of it!"

Queen Beryl considered this or several seconds before waving her hand slightly and causing the tentacles to vanish into nothingness while Babidi collapsed to the ground "Very well Babidi," She said "You have three months to accomplish this. If you have failed to do so, your life is forfeit. Now get out of my sight."

Babidi shakily arose from the floor and turned towards the doors to leave. Cursing his fortune, cursing Queen Beryl, but most of all, cursing that Saiyan half bred mongrel who had destroyed his one true chance of power. That brat would pay, in blood if Babidi had anything to do with it.

To be continued…

**Can't think of any comments to say this time… Other than saying thanks to Tashina for pointing out my mistake. Just remember to R&R! **


	13. Museum Trip

A Marriage of Convenience

A Museum is a place of learning, of knowledge; of ancient ideas brought to modern day to show how far a Civilisation has advanced since it first thought that rubbing two sticks together to get some hot non-solid stuff was a pretty nifty idea. They were also the largest boredom traps for anyone under the age of forty. Anyone who actually finds a Museum exhibit interesting while they're still in their teens should be locked in a deep dark cell to protect the rest of Humanity.

"Wow! These exhibits are really interesting!" Gohan exclaimed, earning himself the ire of the Princesses. Even Ami was unable to gather much enthusiasm for looking at the exhibits, thinking more of the books she could read at the Palace rather than the things she was currently looking at.

"Well at least one of you is enjoying themselves." Queen Serenity muttered as she looked over Gohan and the Princesses with more than a hint of exasperation. Aside from the Prince, the group had various shades of boredom of their faces, Serena being the most blatant of them, having almost fallen asleep twice in the last hour and a half.

Ami spoke up at this "Oh we're finding this interesting, aren't we?" She quickly motioned to the others who quickly began to mutter confirmation though a hint of dishonesty could be detected in their answers.

Queen Serenity opened her mouth to respond to the answer when she noticed someone was missing "Where's Gohan now?" She asked wearily, ever since they had entered the Museum, Gohan had been wandering off by himself, absorbing each and every exhibit to his own curiosity. The curators had been pleased at this turn of events at first, after going to the trouble of shutting down the Museum for the Royal Family specifically; it had been nice to see such interest. When Gohan had started to point out the mistakes in the exhibits however, the welcome was starting to become strained.

"I'll go find him." Serena piped in and quickly left the room and went into one of the many corridors which opened into the room the group was currently standing in. In truth, she wasn't sure of where Gohan had gone, but looking for him was certainly more interesting than simply looking at the exhibits.

Serena walked quickly down the corridor, glancing down this way and that as she looked for Gohan. With no one around, the Museum actually seemed to be fairly haunting, the exhibits silent and still and Serena's footsteps echoed throughout the building, making her shudder slightly. Serena wandered for a few minutes, looking at the silent halls until she looked into one corridor and saw Gohan looking downwards, his back turned towards Serena.

"There you are!" Serena cried as she walked towards him "You really shouldn't wander off so much you big…" Serena's voice faltered as she noticed that Gohan wasn't paying attention to her and was still looking downwards, his good hand seemingly holding something. Serena silently walked up to him and looked over his shoulder. While Gohan's right arm was still in its sling, the left arm had picked up one exhibit from its display and was holding it in his hands as if it were a delicate piece of art.

To Serena however, the object in Gohan's hands looked like a curved piece of metal with some odd sheet of glass attached to one end. Before she spoke, Serena glanced at Gohan's face and saw such an odd expression on Gohan's face that she paused. Never before had she seen such repulsion on a person's face. Gohan looked at the device with such disgust that it quite worried Serena and made her wonder why Gohan hated the object in his hand so much.

Then, without warning, Gohan raised his arm and threw the object to the ground with such force that a large crack went down the middle. Gohan then raised his foot and stamped down hard on the device, smashing it to pieces upon contact. After grinding what remained under his shoe, Gohan took a deep breath, turned on his heel and leaving for the corridor behind him, leaving a very confused Serena.

Serena tore her gaze from the retreating Gohan and looked at the display he had torn the exhibit from. It was a pedestal that went up to her waist with a small card displaying the following text:

"**Power Scouter: A device used by the Saiyan race to determine the power of another being. Believed to have been invented 600 years ago, the Scouter has become a fundamental part of the Saiyan military, the greater the power, the greater the status. It is known that while the Scouter can detect the physical energy of a being, it is unable to detect magical energy."**

Serena looked down at the smashed item, wondering why Gohan had done what he did. She knew she'd have to ask him about what had happened but after seeing the look on his face… Serena wasn't all that sure if she wanted the answer.

XxX

"You know your Majesty," Minister Celeste said ponderously "After the last few hours, I've realised something."

Queen Serenity watched as Princesses Mina and Lita glanced at a rather eye catching exhibit of the constellations of the sky as could be seen from the Moon "Oh? And what's that?" The Queen asked her mind on other things.

"That young Prince Gohan could easily take over my job and do a much better job of it." Celeste smiled as the Queen reacted to that statement "I honestly believe that we'll need to shut down the entire Eastern Wing for a week in order to make the corrections the Prince has suggested. The curators will possibly never forgive him for it."

Seeing that Celeste was (Partly) joking, Queen Serenity smiled somewhat and nodded, the boy was truly remarkable. Even though he had seemed to be somewhat… subdued since he returned from his last little wander a few hours ago he had still shown a huge amount of knowledge that matched even Minister Celeste's. Surpassed it in fact. If not for the factor of his bloodline, Gohan may well have been able to become the greatest scholar on the Moon…

A thud from the side made Queen Serenity look over and close her eyes. Serena had knocked over an orb from one of the exhibits onto the floor "Honestly Serena, you should be more careful!" Queen Serenity said.

"Oh don't worry mother, it's not damaged. Anyway what's the worst that could happen with," Serena peered at the label on the display of the exhibit she'd knocked over "A full scale city wide… inferno… bomb." Serena paused and then very slowly went to place the orb back on the display…

"BANG!" Mina shouted, causing Serena to jump a foot in the air and give a squeal of horror, almost dropping the orb in the process. Serena turned around and gave a deathly glare at Mina who was too busy howling with laughter to notice.

"Don't worry your Highness," Minister Celeste said through her smile "That device has been deactivated for many years and is quite harmless." Serena nodded at this and placed the orb back on the display. She turned around after she did so and gave out a large breath, showing a lack of interest to everything around her.

Before Queen Serenity could reprimand her daughter, Serena suddenly blinked and turned to her mother, asking "Wasn't there something important you wanted to tell me and Gohan mother?"

Queen Serenity paused, hoping that this moment could have waited for just a while longer before motioning to Minister Celeste who nodded. Arising from the bench she and the Queen had been sitting at, Celeste called out "Mina, Lita, fetch Ami and Rei would you? There's a very interesting holographic movie of the Planets I think should grab your attention somewhat."

There were two suppressed groans from the Princesses as they trudged off to the display. Minister Celeste followed them, pausing only to share a look with Serena that the Princess found herself unable to decipher. When only Serena and Gohan were left, Queen Serenity spoke once more "The news I have concerns your wedding date."

At this, both Serena and Gohan froze. It was perhaps understandable that they had somewhat forgotten the upcoming wedding. The event had somehow faded into the background for the two but with Queen Serenity suddenly bringing the subject back up again, the idea had shocked them. After giving them several seconds to recover, Queen Serenity went on "I received word from the Saiyan Empire three days ago agreeing on a date for the marriage. I apologise for not telling you sooner but considering what has happened with Prince Gohan, I thought it was for the best."

Serenity gave the two a few moments to take this in before continuing "The date agreed is for two months from this day. Three weeks to the day after your birthday Serena in fact."

Serena seemingly gave no reaction to this but Gohan simply said "Oh."

"Oh, what?" Queen Serenity asked.

"That's the date of the Saiyan Religious festival of Lek and Reelash. It's a traditional date for Marriage to take place and usually turns into a full three day break from all work."

Queen Serenity nodded in understanding though Serena still held a look of shock on her face, unable to comprehend what she had just been told. While she thought Gohan as one of her closest friends despite the fact they had known each other for just over a month, knowing that she had to marry him in two months made the reality of never being able to marry Prince Darien hit her harder than it had ever done before. She could only say the thing that sprung to her mind "That's the same day as the Festival of Masks."

"The Festival of Masks? Isn't that a massive carnival?"

"Yes, that'll be it. Looks like we'll be having a triple celebration then." Queen Serenity's bright tone of voice sounded brittle to Gohan, as if she herself was shaken by the news of the date of marriage. The fact that she had to give her fourteen year old daughter away in marriage was now starting to tell on her. Though Gohan was a good a person as ever could be wished for, Serenity knew that both he and Serena deserved far better than what was happening to them.

"Are all the preparations made?" Serena asked her voice still hollow sounding.

"To a great extent yes. There are still some arrangements to be made but with the date now finally organised, we can sort out the final details. We're planning for a traditional Moon Kingdom ceremony with a private group of people to witness it. I think immediate family and friends would be for the best."

The other two merely nodded at this before Gohan cut in by saying "Can Mr. Piccolo come as well?"

Queen Serenity allowed herself a small smile "Of course Gohan, he is a friend of yours after all." Gohan gave a bright smile at this piece of news. As his parents were unable to be at his wedding, Serenity believed that Gohan wanted any familiar face to be there in order to just support him.

Serena however, was thinking of only one familiar face and that was Prince Darien. As far as she could see, only the thought of General Cosmos's promise that she would see her love before the marriage could get her through this. And she planned to meet with the General to talk about his promise very, very soon…

Queen Serenity rose from her seat as Serena continued to be lost in thought "We should now return to the rest of the group. I think it's only fair we tell them about the date as well. After all, by tomorrow the entire Solar System will know as well as us." Gohan followed the Queen as she began to leave but stopped when she turned around to face Serena. Mistaking the look on the Princess's face for something else entirely, Queen Serenity called out "Don't dawdle Serena, there isn't _that _much of the Museum left to visit."

As she began to follow her mother and her husband to be, the thought of never being able to have Prince Darien as her husband striking her to the core. She wanted more than anything to be with him and she was determined for that to happen.

XxX

Piccolo sat once more on the grass, his body in a position of meditation as he felt his mind fall into the usual feeling of calm and stillness. So determined was he in his concentration, that he didn't even hear the footsteps approaching behind him. Only when Dende called out "Something preying on your mind?" Did Piccolo realise he wasn't alone.

Only glancing over his shoulder to look at the younger Namek, Piccolo growled "And what do you want? To keep an eye on me for Kami?"

Dende shook his head "Actually no, I've come here to talk about a more personal matter. May I it down?"

Piccolo mere shrugged before replying "It's not my garden, do what you want." It was true; the two were currently in the public gardens of the Moon Palace where Piccolo had hoped to gain some peace while Gohan and the Royals were at the Museum. His hopes had been dashed.

Dende gently sat down at Piccolo's side and waited a few seconds, admiring the view "Is it true that you're going off to fight the Dark Kingdom starting from tonight?"

Piccolo opened his eyes in mild surprise. That information was supposed to have been secret but it would seem Dende was high enough on the food chain to learn about it "Yes it is and I don't see what it has to do with you."

Dende simply nodded "You're right Piccolo; it has nothing to do with me. But have you thought about Gohan at all?"

Piccolo finally turned to look Dende in the eye. In truth, he hadn't told Gohan of his plan to go with the Army as he felt that he'd be unable to say goodbye. In response to Dende's question, Piccolo growled "What about Gohan?"

Dende sighed a little "Piccolo, I've talked to the boy over the last few days and if you leave, it will destroy him. He needs you Piccolo and to be frank, I think you need him."

Piccolo glared at the younger Namek, openly annoyed at his presumption "What do you mean that we need each other? Gohan got along fine without me and I got along fine without him. We can survive on our own."

Dende frowned at Piccolo, showing his resolve "Do you know what life's been like for Gohan? I'll tell you, for practically his entire life, all Gohan has known outside his own family is scorn and contempt. Because of his lineage, he's been treated like an outcast since his birth with no real companionship. And then he came to the Moon Kingdom where, for the first time, there are people who are willing to accept him for who, not what, he is."

Piccolo began to grow impatient with Dende's words "I know all this already, what's your point?"

Dende went on, ignoring Piccolo's interruption "Do you know what else Gohan has been missing in his life?"

"No but I'm sure you're going to tell me anyway."

There was a slight inflection on Dende's next words, emphasising the point for Piccolo "Gohan is currently eleven years old. But he has only been with his father for roughly three of those years."

Piccolo paused at this, actually shocked. From what Gohan had told the Namek Kakarott was a kindly man who loved his family, why would he be away so much of the time? As if reading Piccolo's thoughts, Dende said "The War with the Freezing Empire has now lasted a decade. As Kakarott is one of the Saiyan Empire's greatest warriors, he has been called away constantly to fight. Gohan has only got to know his father through letters and has never had a true father-son relationship with him."

Piccolo took all this in before asking "So why are you telling me all this?"

"Because Piccolo, with no father to look up to, Gohan needs someone now more than ever to aid and guide him. I believe you should be that person."

Piccolo was initially shocked at these words. Who was he to guide anyone? But he began to see some reason in Dende's point. He and Gohan had been through a lot already in their short time together and the young boy was closer to him than anybody else had ever been (Admittedly that wasn't saying much in itself but…). Piccolo shook his head however "I'm not that type. Gohan needs to stand on his own."

Dende gave Piccolo a sharp look "It'll be hard for him to do that when you've hurt so badly and when he won't be able to understand why. Don't glare at me like that Piccolo, leave the Moon Kingdom tonight and it will destroy Gohan. He needs you to be here."

Deep down, Piccolo knew Dende was right. While Gohan was stronger than he thought, seeing Piccolo leaving would kill him in some form. Piccolo could see why Gohan needed someone to help him, when he was in the Dark Kingdom Piccolo had nobody to help him when he needed it the most and while Gohan's situation was nowhere near as bad as Piccolo's was, Piccolo still retained some empathy for Gohan "Alright," He muttered "Say I do stay, what can I do? It's not as if I'll be able to teach Gohan anything important."

Dende smiled once again "Are you sure Piccolo? I'm pretty sure you've taught him quite a lot already." Dende rose to his feet and brushed himself off "I can see you've got quite a lot to think about Piccolo so I'll leave you to your thoughts. Just remember that Gohan's fate, whether you like it or nor, is tied to yours." With those words, Dende left Piccolo as he considered his options.

XxX

Gohan was quite surprised to hear knocking at his door. It had just gone 10:00 PM and he was looking to turn in. The news of the date of his marriage and the following excitement and left him quite tired. Not to mention seeing the… thing in the Museum. Shaking the memory from his head, Gohan turned from his bed and walked to the door and opening it, crying out "Mr. Piccolo!" When he saw who it was.

Piccolo nodded before saying "Good to see you're up. There's something we need to talk about." Gohan nodded and stepped aside to let Piccolo in, the Namek walking up to the bed before turning back around. He gazed at the young boy for a moment before continuing "Before anything else, how are you? Your arm feeling better?"

Gohan nodded "Yeah, the doctors say it should be healed by the day after tomorrow."

"Good, you'll need it for your training."

Gohan's face fell in dismay as he realised what Piccolo meant "But I can't train!" He protested "I'm not a fighter and I'm no good in a fight! I panic! I get scared! I…"

Piccolo interrupted Gohan by saying "Is this coming from the same person who managed to force one of the Dark Kingdom's greatest soldiers to flee from him after landing a single blow?" There was the slightest hint of approval and amusement in his tone in the question.

Gohan shuffled on his feet in an embarrassed fashion "I just didn't want them to hurt you." He mumbled quietly.

Piccolo gave a small smile as the young boy's words confirmed his suspicions, Gohan wasn't a warrior that would fight for the sake of fighting, but would fight to protect everything he loved "Gohan, I know how hard fighting is for you. But you have to understand that you will have to fight alongside everyone else. The Dark Kingdom isn't going to sit back and leave us alone. They will try everything they can to destroy us and everything we hold dear. Do you understand?"

Gohan looked at Piccolo with saddened eyes, nobody knew the true extent of his loathing for fighting and yet he could see sense in the Namek's words "Alright Mr. Piccolo… I'll do it."

Piccolo nodded in some satisfaction "Good, we'll begin as soon as your arm recovers. Considering how strong you already are, I think we'll be able to be prepared for whatever the Dark Kingdom throws at us. For now, get some rest." After saying their goodbyes, Gohan watched as Piccolo left the bedroom and shut the door behind him, cursing his fate of always being a pawn of war…

XxX

Cosmos was working late, as usual, his brow furrowed as he looked over various reports on the military situation. While the Dark Kingdom was seemingly putting up a quiet front, Cosmos was willing to bet everything he owned that they were up to something. The spy satellite had shown very little out of the ordinary for the Dark Kingdom but still…

Cosmos lent back in his chair and thought a while. He had been both surprised and more than a little annoyed when Piccolo had told the General had changed his mind, and with the backing of the Queen, Cosmos had to accept the fact that the Namek was going to train the Saiyan to become a warrior. Cosmos prided himself on his judge of character and he could tell that despite the lineage the Saiyan had, he was no fighter and would not be able to keep up with the pace of the war. In a way, Cosmos almost felt sorry for him but then, as a Saiyan, why should he? Barbarians should give civilised people no concern and vice versa.

Looking down on a final file, Cosmos saw it addressed the build up of defences for the capital city. The invasion of the Palace had been a wake up call for everyone, the Dark Kingdom would never set foot on Moon soil ever again, and Cosmos was prepared to lay down his life for it. He signed the paper authorising greater defences and hoped that they would never have to be used, for the sake of everyone.

To be continued…

**There we go, not my best chapter I'm sorry to say but hopefully I'll be back on track next time. Sorry about the delay but I've been quite busy these last few weeks. Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to R&R!**


	14. Uncle Raditz

A Marriage of Convenience

To Saiyans, the idea of training constantly and with utter determination is really a given. Like the great Saiyan philosopher, Roodis, said "I train to fight, I fight to prove my worth. I fight therefore I am. Right, where's my money?" (The last sentence is usually omitted in many texts). But to Gohan, he trained only because he had too, loathing both the process of training itself and the reason for why he had to do it. While he wasn't too fond of training by himself (Only doing it because he had promised his father) but at least he wasn't in danger of hurting anyone…

Gohan dodged another blow as Piccolo shot out his fist towards the boy's head, stepping back a few paces as he got into a defensive stance once again. Dressed in a simple dark blue gi, Gohan kept a close eye on his new teacher, Piccolo. They had been sparring for an hour now and Gohan could tell Piccolo was a much tougher and dirty fighter than he had thought. While Gohan had reluctantly learned a few underhand tricks of his own, he was outclassed in this department by Piccolo, and was developing the bruises to prove it.

Piccolo lashed out his fist again, this one stretching out towards and beyond Gohan as he dodged it, crashing into the wall several metres behind him. They were training in a rather large outdoor area that had been neglected in recent years. While once it had been a well kept garden, it had now devolved into something that was kept by whoever had the time to spare. While not exactly a mess, it was slightly overgrown and the occasional weed could be seen. Nevertheless, it was spacious, had few obstacles to get in the way and was far away from the main hub of the Palace so the two wouldn't be disturbed during their training.

Though to Piccolo, it wasn't training, it was a sheer mountain of annoyance. Gohan just refused to go on the offensive, dodging each and every attack the Namek threw at him. For half an hour the two had been against each other and Piccolo had reached the end of his tether, in order to truly gauge Gohan's power he'd have to force him to attack and in order to do that, he'd have to do something he'd knew he would instantly regret.

Dropping his defences for a moment (And noticing that Gohan till didn't go for the attack. Whether that showed his pacifistic ideals or just general caution around the Namek, Piccolo wasn't sure), Piccolo sneered at the young boy "Pathetic!" He called out "What happened to the strength you showed on the Dark Kingdom?! Was it just because you got a cheap shot in, was that it?"

Gohan's face didn't fall, it collapsed. In a voice on the brink of tears, he said "B…but Mr. Piccolo I just…"

"Shut up!" Piccolo snapped "You were just hiding behind we weren't you? Waiting until they were distracted so you could act the hero! You're pathetic! A weakling living off his father's name!"

Gohan's head was cast down to the floor and his face was hidden from Piccolo's view though he could tell from the boy's clenched fists that his anger was mounting to rapid heights. And only with his ken hearing could Piccolo hear the young boy whisper "Shut… up…"

Hating himself for doing so but doing it nonetheless, Piccolo shouted out once again "Is that it? Are you just going to stand there and cry like a coward? If I'd known you were going to do this, I wouldn't have bothered coming. You weakling."

At that point, Piccolo knew he had crossed a line that he didn't even know was there. He felt Gohan's power suddenly shoot up and a wave of energy rush out from his body, actually forcing the Namek to bring his arms up in defence. Electricity crackled in the air as Gohan gave a cry as the energy within him was finally released and filled the air around him. Piccolo felt his jaw drop as Gohan's power continued to grow; he knew the boy had potential, but this much?

Realising that going any further could prove to be dangerous, Piccolo called out "That's enough Go…" But was stopped by a sudden explosion of pain in his throat. Gohan had struck him in the dead centre of Piccolo's neck with his fist, moving so fast that Piccolo hadn't even been able to see him. The Namek took two steps back, unable to even breathe through his pain while still trying to speak to Gohan to get him to calm down. His efforts proved for nothing however as Gohan delivered another blow, this time to the area below Piccolo's chest, causing him to collapse to his knees.

Looking up through his agony, Piccolo looked at Gohan and managed to gasp out "Gohan… stop…" For some reason, this only managed to fuel Gohan's rage and the boy lashed his foot out, kicking Piccolo in the jaw and making him crash into the wall.

"Why should I stop?!" Gohan almost screeched, his voice near breaking point in rage "Isn't this what you wanted?!" Gohan rushed to Piccolo's prone body and started stamping on it, causing Piccolo even more agony. A sudden snap and explosion of agony made Piccolo realise that at least two of his ribs were now broken like twigs and Gohan's rage still spurned him on further, stamping heavily on every part of Piccolo's body.

Through the wall of agony, one question arose in Piccolo's mind, what had set Gohan off like this? What had Piccolo done to release all his inhibitions and strike with such brutality? What was it?

XxX

Three Years Ago:

"Is this the best you can do? You pathetic weakling!" Gohan had to fight back the tears once more as his uncle berated him for letting yet another blow go across his bow "A newborn child or a decrepit senile would be stronger than you boy! Thank the Kais your father can't see you, he'd die of shame!"

Gohan visibly flinched at the last remark; the eight year old boy strove desperately to earn his father's love and to be told that he was instead doing the opposite dealt him a mortal blow. Getting up shakily from the ground he had only recently been knocked down to, Gohan shakily assumed a defensive pose. He and his uncle Raditz were 'sparring' in a remote location made up of barren earth and boulders. In the distance, Gohan's grandfather and the father of Raditz, Bardock, leant against a boulder and looked on as Gohan tried to defend himself against another assault by his uncle.

The sheer difference in power however, made this almost impossible. Raditz launched himself at the small boy and swiped him away with the back of his hand. Gohan was flung to the ground and landed on the ground where Raditz landed a viscous kick to his ribs before he could get up. Gohan screamed in pain and clutched his ribs in agony, rolling on the ground before Raditz put his foot down on Gohan's chest, forcing him to stay still.

Raditz's mouth turned up to a sneer as he raised his hand to switch on his Power Scouter. The lights on the Scouter blinked as it read Gohan's power level only for it to come up painfully short. Raditz placed more weight on his foot, causing another groan to come out of Gohan's lips "Is that it? You haven't improved at all! It's a good thing Kakarott's off fighting the war and left us to take care of you, otherwise you'd never improve!" Raditz leant down and grabbed Gohan by the throat and picked him up from the ground so he and the boy were eye to eye "Face it half breed, without my training, you'd remain a weakling."

Gohan said nothing, the words just as painful as any physical blow. Despite his best efforts, a solitary tear fell down his cheek which only angered Raditz who threw his nephew to the ground. Gohan hastily got to his feet and wiped the tear away but it was too late to appease his uncle who simply rushed up to Gohan and struck him in the stomach, winding the boy and sending him to his knees. Raditz stood over Gohan, looking down in contempt "I would have thought anything from our bloodline would have been able to even put up a fight worthy of some pride. But you, you pathetic half breed freak, are worth nothing to anyone. Not to me, not to the Empire and not even to your father or weakling Human mother."

Gohan was silent at this, his body shaking in fury at these words, any pain or fear now forgotten as rage started to seize him. Mistaking the shaking for terror, Raditz growled "Oh I can hardly stand looking at this." He motioned towards his Power Scouter "Though according to this, I shouldn't be too surprised. You see this half-breed? It tells me that you're nothing more than a weakling and that's all you'll ever be. So every time you see one of these," Raditz crouched down so he knew Gohan would hear every last word "Just remember that you're a half-breed weakling who can't even fight to save his own sorry hide."

These words were what finally tipped Gohan over the edge. With a scream of cold blooded fury, Gohan leapt straight to his feet and struck upwards with his fist, catching his uncle with a bone shattering blow across his face. Raditz fell to the ground, more out of shock than actual pain though there was plenty of that. The Power Scouter attached to his head started to show almost unbelievable figures about Gohan's power level. He was unable to concentrate too much on that however, as Gohan continued his assault by dashing towards the fallen Raditz and started pummelling him with his fists.

The stricken Saiyan could do little more than lie back and take the punishment dealt out by his nephew. Raditz would have been amazed by the strength of his nephew… if he wasn't having three kinds of snot being pounded out of him that is. Several metres away, Bardock felt his jaw drop slightly. Never would he have suspected that Gohan held such power, he hadn't even lifted a finger to attack up to this point and now he was completely destroying Raditz. Perhaps there was more to his grandson than he suspected…

While impressed with the strength exhibited by Gohan, it wasn't worth seeing his eldest son being killed for it. Bardock straightened himself up and called out "Gohan!"

Gohan turned around which turned out to be an almost fatal mistake. Raditz was down, but not out and very, very angry. As Gohan was distracted, he lashed out his hand, grabbed Gohan by the face and slammed it down onto the ground. Gohan's cry of pain was cut short by Raditz releasing his grip before bunching his hand into a fist and hitting Gohan so that his head was almost crushed between Raditz's fist and the ground. While Gohan was in agony, Raditz rose to his feet and began to stamp heavily on Gohan's back as hard as he could screaming "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE YOU LITTLE FREAK?!! YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME, IS THAT IT?!!"

Bardock quickly ran up to Raditz and grabbed him, managing to pull him off his nephew. Raditz struggled almightily, wanting to punish Gohan for humiliating him in such a manner. Bardock was the stronger however and he shouted out "Stop Raditz! Do you want to kill the boy?!"

Raditz paused and very slowly stopped his foot from stamping down once more before stepping back. Silently sighing in relief, Bardock rushed towards his grandson and knelt down, examining his wounds. After a few moments, he rose and said "His ribcage is almost completely smashed, his spine is practically snapped, I'm amazed he's alive. Bring the rejuvenation tank here immediately and thank your dumb luck that Kakarott isn't here or he'd have struck you down."

Though inwardly grumbling, Raditz complied and hurried back to their cam before returning with a rejuvenation tank which, despite its size, he easily carried. When they had set it up and placed Gohan inside, the machine was switched to do its work. Then Bardock turned to his son and snapped "What were you thinking?! Were you deliberately trying to kill your own flesh and blood?!"

Raditz failed to look his father in the eye as he muttered "That little brat had it coming…"

"For what? Attacking you? Standing up for himself? Or did he deserve it simply because he got the better of you?" Bardock took a deep breath "When your brother asked us to take his son into the wilderness for a few weeks to train him, we weren't supposed to kill him simply because he actually improved! Do I make myself clear?"

Raditz muttered "Yes father." Very much sure that killing his own nephew could have well been on the agenda should he have felt like it.

Bardock turned back to look at Gohan and shook his head "Well there's no point in both of us sticking around here for too long. I'll go and prepare dinner while you stand guard here and tell me when the tank has done its job. Then call me before the boy gets out and I'll try to talk him into keeping this a secret. Agreed?"

Raditz nodded curtly to his father before Bardock headed back to camp. Turning to the rejuvenation tank, Raditz's lips turned to a sneer "You were lucky to lay a finger on me this time you little half breed. But remember that in a true fight, you'll always, always be a weakling compared to me!" His ego sated, Raditz then turned away and began to meditate while in the tank, a single solitary tear dropped down Gohan's cheek unnoticed by anyone except the young boy.

XxX

Present:

Piccolo gave a gasp, the beating Gohan was inflicting on him was now excruciating and he was almost unconscious from the pain. Gohan raised his fist once more to deal another blow when Piccolo found the strength to raise his hand and utter the word "Gohan…" The affect was slow but incredible. The rage from Gohan's eyes dulled slightly as he finally looked at Piccolo and after a few seconds he gasped and shot backwards, his expression one of horror.

"Mr Piccolo!" Gohan cried "I'm sorry, I… I don't know what happened! I… I just…"

Piccolo managed to shift his body so he was leaning up on his arms. Looking at the stricken boy, he managed to say "Gohan, I…"

"Hate me don't you?" Gohan almost shouted "Why not? Everything I do winds up wrong! How can I be of any help against the Dark Kingdom? I can barely control myself!!!" On that, Gohan turned and began to run away from Piccolo, scared of having lost a friend, scared of what he had done and scared that he couldn't control what he was becoming…

XxX

General Cosmos looked up at the knock on his door; he certainly wasn't expecting any visitors or news. So that meant something unexpected had happened and if there was one thing Cosmos hated, it was surprises "Enter." Cosmos said and was surprised to see that the person who had entered was in fact, Princess Serena. After a second's reflection, Cosmos realised that he shouldn't be surprised as he was due to the recent news about the wedding "May I help you your Highness?" He asked, knowing that he quite possibly couldn't while motioning towards the chair on the other side desk for the Princess to sit.

Serena did so but with great trepidation, her face was contorted by worry. For a moment, Cosmos did feel sorry for her, knowing that her pain was partly because of his failed promises "I take it you're here to discuss the marriage."

Serena nodded before blurting out "I need to see Darien as soon as possible! I need to just speak to him anything! You promised me you could arrange a meeting between us, why haven't you done so?!"

Cosmos sighed; this was going to be tough but… "You Highness, I have managed to arrange such a time when you and Prince Darien can meet." The joy in the Princess's face made what he had to see next all the harder "But the day in question is on the day of your wedding."

Serena's face, once so high, fell at this news "The wedding? But why then?"

"It was the only time." Cosmos replied "With so much traffic coming to the Moon, Prince Darien can slip through the Earth's sensors without alerting the hostile Kingdoms."

Serena sat, numb "When can I meet him then?" She finally asked.

"I was thinking after the ceremony, in the evening. The Queen's private gardens will be appropriate for this. They'll be isolated and you can have some privacy. I'll take you to meet Darien myself."

Serena nodded, still quite numb from what she had heard "Is there anything else you can tell me?"

"Only that Prince Darien is in fine health and he looks forward to seeing you once more." Princess Serena nodded and rose to leave, wanting to think things through before anything else. She was stopped by Cosmos however "Before you go your Highness I must recommend that you should tell the Saiyan of your meeting with Prince Darien."

Serena did a double take of surprise at this; Cosmos was recommending this? It was odd to say the least "Why?" She asked "You've never cared about what happens to Gohan before. You were even willing to leave him at the mercy of the Dark Kingdom!"

General Cosmos raised his hand in a sort of dismissive defence "My duty is to protect you and your mother while serving my duty to the Moon Kingdom. The fate of one Saiyan matters little in this. But I fear for your safety should he believe himself to be deceived concerning your relationship with Prince Darien. There's no telling what he may do in his rage."

Serena allowed herself to laugh for the first time in days "If you believe that about Gohan, you'll believe anything. He's the most gentle, kind and humane person I've never known. He'd never hurt anyone unless he had no choice."

General Cosmos made no reply other than to raise his eyebrow "Nevertheless, I recommend that you tell the Saiyan about Prince Darien. At the very least, it'll prevent any major incidents later on."

Serena paused a moment before eventually nodding "Alright, I'll tell him but not for fear but to be fair to him. Gohan's a good person; I'd stake everything I had on it." And with that, Serena turned and walked out of the door, leaving General Cosmos alone, and concerned.

XxX

Princess Serena only realised that she shouldn't have been heading to Gohan's bedroom as she arrived there. She remembered that he had mentioned going with Piccolo to train and improve his strength in an empty section of the Palace. As she turned to leave, Serena caught site of Piccolo approaching from the other end of the corridor. His clothes were torn and tattered, his body battered and quite bloody in places Serena gaped at Piccolo's appearance and started to ask what had happened when he merely grunted "I pushed him a little too hard…"

Not even giving Serena an explanation to his words, Piccolo brushed past her and started to knock on the door to Gohan's bedroom "Gohan!" He called out "I know you're in there so open up and we can talk to each other!" Piccolo's words were greeted with silence at first and Serena wondered what had happened between the two of them.

After a moment of silence, the lock on the door was heard turning and it slowly opened, revealing a red eyed Gohan, the dampness of his cheeks reflecting in the light. Serena couldn't help but blurt out "Gohan, what happened to you?!"

Gohan remained silent while Piccolo muttered "It's because of what I said, wasn't it?"

There was a pause before Gohan nodded his head and, in voice so quiet Serena had to struggle to hear it, whispered "I'm sorry Mr. Piccolo."

Piccolo shook his head "Don't apologise Gohan, I knew you hated training but I never thought it would have that much of an affect on you. I should have known something bad had happened that made you turn away from fighting to that extent." Piccolo gently put his hand on Gohan's shoulder and said "If you feel that you can't train Gohan, then I won't force you but I want you to know that I think you'd make a great warrior."

Gohan stared down at the floor as he listened to these words before finally raising his head up and, looking Piccolo in the eyes, said "I... think it'd be better if we didn't train together anymore Mr. Piccolo. I don't know what would happen if I… lost control again."

Piccolo nodded at this "You're strong Gohan, stronger than you think; I know you should give time to your training but if you think you can't do it…"

"I can't Mr. Piccolo. Whenever I fight, I can't control myself, I just lose it…"

Piccolo thought long and hard about what to do next. He knew from what happened earlier and from Gohan's own expression that there was something he was hiding, that had hurt him deeply in the past. He should have asked him before they had begun training but now; he doubted that the trust between him and Gohan wouldn't return for a long time and with a lot of work.

Rather than press a question he wouldn't get an answer to, Piccolo said "I won't force you to train Gohan but I will be here in case you change your mind. I want you to know that I'll be here to give you what help you need if you change your mind."

Gohan nodded quietly and Piccolo began to walk off although he motioned at Serena with his head. She realised that he wanted her to talk to Gohan; she was much closer to him in their friendship at this point. Before the boy could object, Serena quickly went up to him and gently took his hand, looking into his eyes "Gohan, I want you to tell me what happened."

Gohan paused before nodding and walked hand in hand with Serena to his bedroom. Over the next half hour, Gohan told Serena everything while she sat on the edge of his bed and listened intently to what he said his While Gohan had proved unwilling to speak to Piccolo, he felt he could tell Serena everything behind his actions. After he finished speaking, Serena said "And your uncle, where is he now?"

Gohan paused for a moment before saying "Dead. He was killed by Emperor Freeza two years ago while fighting with my father. That was what made him Ascend."

Serena thought for a while on this and decided to go no further. Whatever Gohan felt about his uncle needed to be opened up, but not when he was still half way to a collapse. Serena instead rose from where she was sitting and took Gohan by the hand once more, the warmth from her giving Gohan a little comfort. They both looked into each others eyes as Serena said "Gohan, I'm not going to go any further on this, I know it hurts you and I won't press you on it but just know that I'll be here for you."

There was a deep, heartfelt pause as Gohan took this in. Eventually, he smiled and gave Serena's hand a small squeeze mumbling a 'thank you' as he did so. The two stood still for some time as they looked at each other, enjoying the passing seconds, not wanting to break the precious silence. After a time, Gohan began to say "Serena, would you like to…" Before blushing and stopping.

Serena smiled softly; he really was cute in his way… "Would I like to…?" She prompted.

Gohan took a deep breath before continuing "Would you like to take a walk around the gardens tomorrow? Just you and me? If you don't want to that'll be…"

"I'd love to Gohan." Serena said, quickly cutting through his babbling "It'll be nice to just spend some time with you."

Gohan smiled widely at this, so grateful to have a friend like Serena. For the next hour, they both talked about their day and the upcoming marriage, with Gohan growing even more enthusiastic as he learned more about it. When Serena finally left, she felt quite happy at knowing she and Gohan would soon be together as good friends and just simply able to enjoy themselves once again.

She'd completely forgotten about Prince Darien.

To be continued…

**I'd just like to apologise unreservedly concerning the time it's taken to get this chapter out. I hope it's been worth the wait and please, R&R! **


	15. The Sixth Princess

A Marriage of Convenience

At this time of day, the Palace Gardens were a sight to behold. The flowers were in full bloom all year round, with each petal a brilliant shade of colour. All flowers were organised into distinct patterns with a focus on bringing out the beauty of each individual flower. The garden was indeed a beautiful place to walk through when a person (Or persons) was in the mood for just the slightest twinge of romance.

This was the third time Gohan and Serena had walked through the garden since they had had their talk after Gohan's training session. Each time had passed with mainly silence as both had simply enjoyed the company of the other as they strolled with each other through the flowers. Whenever they had spoken, it had mainly kept to Serena's studies and Gohan helping her in them. The other Princesses had given the two a wide berth during their walks, realising that sometimes, privacy was needed. This time however, both Gohan and Serena had dropped hints about them coming along if they wanted.

The Princesses had taken this invite and all six of the friends were currently sat down on a patch of grass close to the middle of the garden. Currently, they were silent and allowed themselves to enjoy the brief moment of peace they had snatched from their lives. While training in their abilities would come later, for now, all six were happy to enjoy the moment and relax. Ami had even dropped off into a doze and Mina had taken to tickling her face with a long piece of grass, causing the short haired Princess no end of grief.

As Ami was tormented slightly, Serena tapped Gohan on the shoulder and smiled as he looked at her "Are you alright?" She asked, still a little worried about what had happened five days before after Gohan's training session with Piccolo.

Gohan simply nodded in reply, giving a calm smile to sooth Serena's fears. He had managed to get over the pain of what had happened but he was touched that Serena was asking him about it. Before he could answer however, everyone jumped in surprise at the sound of Ami giving off an almighty "ATCHOOO!!!" Everyone turned around to see what had happened. Mina had slipped slightly and the grass went into Ami's nose, causing her to sneeze directly into Mina's face. There was a pause as everyone took this in before all giving a "Ewww…"

Ami, for her part, looked embarrassed as Mina wiped her damp face, perhaps realising that what goes around, comes around. When the laughter subsided, Gohan said "Perhaps we could invite some more people when we do this next time. How about your mother comes with us next time?"

Serena instantly dismissed this. She loved her mother but there were times when she needed to be without her. Outwardly, she gave another reason "She's always too busy with running the Kingdom. She's meeting some Princess from the Northern Quadrant or something right now."

Gohan perked up at this "Will we meet her?" He always looked forward to meeting new people.

Serena shrugged "I don't know but I wouldn't recommend it. I've met this Princess before; she's a little… crazy."

"So what's wrong with that? She should fit in alright with us." Rei quipped, causing the others to roll their eyes at her sarcasm.

"She's only here on her way to her honeymoon anyway," Serena said, ignoring Rei's interruption "I doubt that anything too much could happen while she's here."

It was at that point that Gohan gave an almighty shout.

XxX

Dende glanced up from his meditation as he heard a noise behind him. Turning around, he was greeted by the sight of none other than Piccolo. Dende paused for a moment before saying "Everything alright?"

Piccolo walked up and past Dende before turning around so that they were facing each other. Clad in his usual fighting tunic and turban, Dende noticed that Piccolo appeared to be even more irritated than usual. After a moment, he said "Have you seen Gohan lately?"

Dende nodded "I met him while walking through the gardens the other day. He was with Princess Serena and they appeared to be enjoying themselves." Dende saw the slightest hint of relief in Piccolo's face before continuing with "And why exactly are you worried? I've noticed that you've been avoiding him for the last few days despite you two were supposed to train together."

Piccolo gave Dende a glare and didn't answer so Dende continued "Something happened didn't it? I noticed you were badly beaten after your training session and I wondered what exactly happened…"

Piccolo waited for a moment as he thought before answering "There was an… incident with Gohan. There's something in his past, something that caused him to lose control during our training…"

"And caused him to beat you to a pulp I notice." Dende said with a slight hint of smugness that Piccolo chose to ignore.

"Before anything else happens, I think we all need to know what exactly happened to make him hate fighting so much."

"Well, why not just ask him?" Dende asked.

"I can't do that now. What happened between Gohan and me a few days ago knocked all trust to pieces. I need to get this information from another place to be sure."

Dende frowned at this "Don't be so sure. Gohan isn't the type to hold a grudge about these things."

"I wasn't talking about a grudge," Piccolo snapped "You said about Gohan needing a father figure but after what happened, I don't think he'd be willing to open up to me. And I won't ask Serena in case she doesn't know or she won't be willing to talk. I'll need to ask someone else to get to the bottom of this."

Dende paused before saying "Well Kami has received a Com-Screen from the Namek High Council to improve communications. If you can get the frequency of the Com-Screen that Gohan's family has and if we can get a free moment on Kami's Com-Screen, we can contact Gohan's family and ask what happened that affected him so much."

Piccolo nodded at this, liking the sound of it "The sooner we find out what happened with Gohan, the better it'll be for everyone."

There was a pause before Dende said "Well now that's sorted, can you get out of my room? I was in the middle of my routine meditation when you interrupted."

Piccolo gave a smirk "Should've locked you door if you didn't want people coming in."

"Well I had expected that people on the Moon would know how to knock on a door." Dende quipped, as Piccolo left the room, allowing Dende to get back to his meditation in peace.

XxX

"You jealous yet?

"No!"

"How about now?"

"Shut up!"

In truth however, Serena wasn't jealous. When Gohan went off with the other Princess, she hadn't experienced any real jealously or any other emotion apart from annoyance that Gohan was willing to go off with her so fast. The other Princesses had been teasing Serena consistently for the last half hour about how her prospective husband had gone off with another girl. In truth, Gohan had simply agreed to give a tour and had been dragged off before the Princesses could react but that stood little in the way of the teasing.

Gohan and the visitor had gone off in the direction of far end of the garden, meaning that they were out of earshot and out of eyesight as well. They couldn't politely follow them so there was the question of what was going on… which Mina was more than happy to propose answers too, no matter how unlikely they were. As Serena glanced over the garden once more, she heard Mina start with "You do have to admit, she is cute and she is closer to Gohan's age than…"

"Would you just shut… Hey, they're over there!" All turned to where Serena was pointing and indeed saw Gohan walking next to a large fountain. With him was his very good friend, Princess Sasami of Junon. Serena quickly ducked down and snuck behind some bushes that the two were standing by, the others following close after her.

"Why are we sneaking like this?" Ami whispered along the way.

"So they won't notice us and we can listen to what they're saying." Mina said as if she were talking to a five year old.

"Couldn't we just go up and talk to them? It's not as if we should be hiding or anything."

"Ami, if you keep on making completely sensible and clear headed suggestions, then there's no point in us bringing you along on this sort of thing."

A sharp glare from Serena silenced both of them for now and all five stopped in their tracks to listen "… like you've been through a lot," Came the voice of Sasami "Are you sure you arm is alright?"

"Yeah, it's a lot better now thanks. Still aches a little now and then but it's nothing to complain about."

"And you were hurt from fighting the Dark Kingdom? You must be a really great warrior to do that!"

"Well, I wouldn't say that…" Gohan said modestly.

"Oh?" Sasami's voice dripped with disappointment at those words.

"I mean I'm quite good," Gohan suddenly cut in "But I can't really say great."

"Oh come on, you fought the Four Generals of the Dark Kingdom and won!"

"Well when you put it like that…" A change had come over Gohan's voice when he said that. There had been the slightest hint of pride in it. Serena also noticed Gohan hadn't mentioned Piccolo at all…

"And you did all that while helping that Peekago guy too. So you must be a great fighter to have done all that."

"_Never mind…" _ Serena thought wearily.

"I don't believe it…" Mina muttered just loud enough for the other Princesses to hear.

"What?"

"Gohan really does have a crush on Sasami."

"_What?_" Came the whispered reply from the others.

"Well, look at him. He's walking really close to her, he's actually bragging about fighting against the Dark Kingdom, and he's not being entirely honest about it either." Mina said this as if she were a lawyer producing case closing evidence.

Even Serena had to concede the point Mina was making and listened to what else Gohan and Sasami were talking about. She managed to find a small gap in the bush she was crouching at so she'd be able to see them. Gohan was wearing his usual casual clothing and coronet while Sasami was clad in a rather formal kimono of the Junon style _"And Mina's right," _Serena couldn't help but think _"They are standing really close together…"_

Gohan had decided to deflect the topic of conversation onto Sasami herself and Serena found herself suspiciously asking why "So how did you manage to actually visit the Moon Kingdom? I got the impression that your mother wasn't very… fond of me."

Sasami gave a sad sigh at this and looked into the water of the fountain as she answered "I know and I'd just like to say sorry about that again. I never even knew she didn't like Saiyans until that night at the Ball. It was a good thing I managed to give Princess Ami that seal so that we could still write to each other."

Gohan smiled at this, nodding in agreement "Yeah, it's great to hear from you every week but how did you get your mother to let you go on you sister's honeymoon?"

To this, Sasami gave an impish giggle and said "Well I didn't really tell her. I just sort of snuck on board my sister's ship just before it took off."

Gohan looked at her in amazement "But won't you be in serious trouble over this?"

In reply, Sasami contorted her face and gave the most incredible puppy eye look Gohan had ever seen. It was followed an incredibly babyish yet irresistibly cute speech "Buuutttt Mommy, it'll by eleventh birthday soon and I can't have fun without my biggest bestest sister and Tenchi…"

There was a pause as Gohan took this in "And that actually works?" He asked eventually.

"You'd be surprised." Sasami quipped "Anyway, it does get boring without my sister in the Palace. She always seems to attract some sort of trouble. And with my birthday coming up, I could do with something interesting happening."

"Your birthday?" Gohan asked nervously "You didn't say! I need to get you a present!"

Sasami smiled a little "Gohan, I'm a Princess of one of the richest Planets in the Northern Quadrant. There's not much you can actually get me really…"

As if he hadn't heard, Gohan muttered "Perhaps something with chocolate would do…"

Sasami smiled at this and a blush slowly crept up her face as a thought came to her mind "Actually Gohan," She said shyly "There is something you could give as a present…"

"Oh? And what's? Gohan asked, missing all the signals as usual.

"Well… you know." Sasami hinted before realising that Gohan actually didn't and decided to elaborate "I was thinking that perhaps we could… have our first…" She began to lean over to Gohan slightly, their faces now quite close.

There was a pause as both Gohan and Sasami fell silent. Serena and the others waited with baited breath to see what would happen. It finally did when Gohan shifted his foot a little and slipped backwards on the gravel. Out of instinct, his hand tried to grab whatever was handy to steady his grip, unfortunately, this was Sasami. With a squawk from both, they toppled backwards and fell into the fountain with an almighty splash. Serena noticed out of the corner of her eye, Lita shaking her head and muttering "Oh Gohan…" With more than a hint of amusement.

It was Sasami who first popped her head out of the water, spitting some out as she did so. Her pig tails, which had previously stuck out some distance from her head, were now stuck to the sides like glue. Her dress was soaked through and she looked considerably put out. When Gohan emerged, his hair was plastered over his eyes and he had to pull it up just to see clearly. He looked at Sasami and grinned sheepishly "And I thought you were good on your feet." Sasami snapped, but with some humour in it.

"Well the Ballroom wasn't filled with gravel…" Gohan started but was cut off.

"Never mind that, let's get out before we catch a cold." Sasami started to rise but stopped to splash Gohan with some of the water "And that's a payback." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Gohan however, didn't see it like that and gave a much bigger splash in response. Sasami squealed and began splashing like her life depended on it while Gohan retaliated with the same sort of treatment. Soon the two had created a miniature storm between them while laughing their hearts out. Serena found herself rolling her eyes at this "They really are just kids." She muttered largely to herself before finally standing up "Come on, we'd better get them out or Sasami's sister will have a fit."

Serena and the others quickly went over to where the water fight was taking place and stopped just out of range of the splash backs "Enjoying yourselves?" Serena said loudly enough so that both Sasami and Gohan stopped and looked up in surprise at the interruption. Both blushed slightly at having been caught out and gave embarrassed smiles.

Both of them were completely drenched from the water and Serena found herself hoping Sasami's kimono could be easily dried. Both still had grins on their faces which only added to the idea that they were still just children at heart. Sasami finally broke the silence by pointing at Gohan and calling out "He started it!"

Gohan looked taken aback before calling out "No I didn't! You splashed me first!"

"Only because you pulled me in!"

"That was an accident!"

The Princesses watched this back and forth banter with some shock. Gohan had tended to be more mature than the average eleven year old and to see him act like a child was quite surprising to say the least. The bickering between the two was cut off by Serena calling out "ENOUGH! You two best stop now or you'll be in big trouble!"

Gohan and Sasami appeared to be embarrassed and Sasami lifted up her hand saying "Alright we'll get out. Could you help me?"

Because the younger girl looked so defenceless, Serena's guard was down and she reached down and took Sasami's hand. As she was yanked down and started to tumble into the water, the thought _"I really should have seen this coming…" _ Passed through her mind.

An almighty splash took place as Serena crashed into the water and everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter as she arose with a murderous gleam in her eye. Serena turned and looked at Sasami who was giving the most convincing innocent look she had ever seen. Serena nevertheless growled out "You are so dead." And began to try and grab her before a tap was felt on her shoulder. Spinning around, Serena was greeted by being splashed in the face by Gohan who laughed at her expression. There was a pause as Serena gathered her senses and said "You realise of course, that this means war." And with a wide sweep of her arm, threw an almighty wave at the young boy, soaking him even further. The situation soon deteriorated into a three-way splash brawl while Ami, Lita, Mina and Rei looked on with some amusement.

XxX

Serena gave a long, satisfied sigh as she left her bathroom and shook her head, letting her hair fall down her back. She had just finished the longest, hottest bath she could remember having and she felt fantastic. The water fight with Gohan and Sasami, while extremely fun, left her soaking and a little cold. A hot bath was ordered and she had spent over an hour soaking and relaxing. She believed Gohan and Sasami had done the same thing although they had continued their splash fight for some time.

A sudden knock at the door interrupted Serena's thoughts and she called out "Who is it?"

"It's me, Gohan." Came the reply "Can I come in?"

Serena looked down to make sure her bathrobe was keeping her decent before replying "Sure, come on in."

The door opened and Gohan entered wearing some fresh clothes and smelling like he'd had a similar bath to Serena. Even his tail had a sheen to it "You alright?" Serena asked as she picked up a brush from her bedside cabinet and proceeded to use it on her hair. At first there was no answer and Serena turned around to see Gohan with a slightly dopey expression on his face and a scarlet colour etched across his cheeks "Are you feeling well?" Serena asked despite having an idea of why Gohan was so distracted.

As if the words snapped him out of his trance, Gohan blinked and said "Yeah, yeah, it's just that you look um… nice with your hair down like that…"

Much to her surprise, Serena found herself blushing slightly at this and muttered "Thanks Gohan." There was a pause as Serena considered what was to be said next "Everything OK?" She finally settled for.

Gohan nodded before breaking into a grin "Better than OK, I had a quick talk with Sasami and guess what? Her sister has agreed to spend a week in the Moon Kingdom while on her Honeymoon so Sasami will be staying even longer!"

Serena gave a slight smile at this. She had met Sasami several times before this day at diplomatic functions and the like and she had liked the young girl and she liked the fact that she'd be spending another week with them… hang on. Serena smiled before asking "Hey Gohan, would you ask Sasami if she'd like to take part in the Midsummer Festival?"

Gohan nodded before screwing his face up in confusion "What Midsummer Festival?"

Serena giggled as she thought about it "Oh, it's in six days and it takes place in Lunos. It'll be great fun with everyone here."

Gohan smiled at this and nodded "Yeah, with you and everyone else at this Festival, it'll be great! What do we do once we get there though?"

Serena began to laugh at this but was cut off by an incredible yawn that passed onto Gohan. Both grinned embarrassedly at this before Serena said "I'll tell you tomorrow but for now, I think we could both do with some sleep."

Gohan didn't budge however and took a deep breath before saying "Serena… I need to tell you something." Serena looked at Gohan in surprise before motioning him to continue "When me and Sasami were alone together… I think she tried to kiss me and I…" Gohan trailed off, a look of shame etched across his face but he ploughed on "I'll make sure that she knows about our marriage and that it won't happen again, I promise."

Serena looked on with some surprise at Gohan and realised that she never thought about what happened between Sasami and Gohan as actually wrong. Serena realised just how serious Gohan was taking this marriage… And then the memory of her correspondence with Prince Darien hit her. Gohan still didn't know about what was happening between the two of them. Serena knew that she had to tell him right now… but her courage failed her and she simply said "Oh… as long as she knows that we'll be fine."

Gohan nodded with a strict look on his face "So you're alright with…"

"Yes Gohan, I'm fine!" Serena snapped as her guilty conscience began to scream at her. Seeing the look on Gohan's face however, she relented "I'm sorry Gohan… I'm just really tired."

Gohan nodded in some relief and said "Alright, goodnight Serena." Serena didn't turn around until she heard her door close. Her mind was reeling with the thought of her love for Darien but also her duty to Gohan. She loved one, but she knew she could not love the other. Gohan deserved the truth but for now, Serena lacked the courage to tell him it.

To be continued…

**Wasn't really expecting to bring back Sasami but I think she's fitted in quite well in here. I'd just like to give a big thanks to all those who've reviewed and hope you're still enjoying this!**


	16. Midsummer Dream, Midsummer Nightmare

A Marriage of Convenience

The Midsummer Festival was one of the highlights of the Moon Kingdom's social year. The longest day of the year was dedicated to the community getting together and enjoying the fruits of labour. Even the Royal Family used this time to relax and enjoy themselves with the rules of travel being relaxed somewhat. With the stressful situation that the Moon Kingdom had been facing, the Festival was promising to be even greater than it had ever been in order to allow everyone to enjoy themselves. The extra pomp of having members of the Royal Family of Jurai attending also meant that there was an extra effort to spruce things up.

The Capital City of Lunos had really pulled out all the stops to celebrate the Festival. Decorations hung from every wall, stands and stalls had been set up on every single street selling their wares. Several stages had also been set up on various main roads where people were performing several famous plays or singing several popular songs. The atmosphere was one of happiness, fun and most importantly, noise. The overpowering sound was extraordinary to the unprepared ear and to Gohan; he could only stare wide eyed at what was going on around him. While Earth cities like New York thought they could push the boat out of the harbour, the Moon Kingdom sent out an entire fleet.

Out of the entire Royal group, Gohan was the only one fazed by looking on the spectacle of the Festival. He had never seen so much life before in one place. His old home had been quite isolated from most other Saiyan settlements and had only been to them on very special occasions. He was amazed to see so many people in one place and time. The others were somewhat amused by this as they were all used to such Festivals, Sasami herself had enjoyed the sights of various large Festivals on Jurai and was used to such things.

The Royal Family and other assorted Royalty were travelling in a private carriage for now. Queen Serenity was travelling to the city centre where she was to officially start the celebrations. Serena had returned to being six years old and was bouncing on her seat, hardly able to contain her excitement. The Midsummer Festival was one of her favourite times of the year with all the celebrations and fun. She was really looking forward to venturing out to the city with all her friends and taking in all the sights. Queen Serenity couldn't help but smile at her daughter's enthusiasm; it reminded her of more innocent times…

"Mother! Can we stop and look around?" Serena said, in a voice that made everyone think of a small child.

Queen Serenity allowed herself a small sigh, wondering how Serena would ever be able to perform her duties when she still insisted on acting like a child at times. But Serenity found herself cherishing that innocence all the more these days "Oh alright," She said wearily "But stick together and pay for everything up front. I don't want a repeat of what happened five years ago. The Palace is not going to foot yet another chocolate bill of that magnitude."

Serena rolled her eyes and opened the door to the carriage and jumped out "Come on everyone!" She shouted "Follow me!" There was some eye rolling at this, sometimes Serena was really the least mature of them. They all piled out of the carriage despite that however, all wanting to take part in the Festival. The carriage was soon swallowed up by the throng of people and disappeared from sight. Serena watched it leave before turning around and saying "Follow me! I know where there's this great stall for anything you could want!"

The group all started to follow Serena apart from Gohan who was still staring around opened mouthed at what he was seeing. Due to such unfamiliar and exciting sights, Gohan barely noticed anything else. When he finally began to look at his surroundings again, he noticed he was quite alone. There was a pause before Gohan muttered "Ah… this won't end well…"

XxX

The door opened slightly and Dende poked his head through the space looking in. After determining that there was no one inside, Dende motioned with his hand and walked in, Piccolo following behind him. Both started to look around quickly before Piccolo spotted what they were after. Kami's Com-Screen was standing next to the far wall in his room, the only decoration within its spacious confines. Piccolo rummaged through his robes and produced a slip of paper which had the numbered combination of the Com-Screen of Gohan's family. Piccolo had had to sneak into Gohan's room and copy the combination to get it.

"You sure the time will be right?" Piccolo asked, not wanting to miss an opportunity to speak to Gohan's family because they were in bed.

"It'll be alright," Dende replied "It should be roughly mid evening over there. You can fix the numbers in now." Piccolo nodded and proceeded to put in the combination for the Com-Screen of Gohan's family.

When Piccolo put in the final number and pressed the button to send the signal, he stood back and waited for an answer. He didn't have to wait long, as the static on the screen soon cleared up and a figure was seen. The figure was definitely a Saiyan, black spiky hair (Though it was turning grey in some places); the traditional Saiyan armour was worn and the Com-Screen was large enough to show that a tail was wrapped around his waist "Nameks?" The man asked with a snarl "What do you want?"

Dende stepped forward and gave a slight bow of his head "Greetings sir, I am Dende, Ambassador of Namek to the Moon Kingdom. With me is Piccolo, a warrior and close friend of Gohan, Prince of the Ox Kingdom. May I ask if you are Gohan's father, Kakarott?"

"No, I'm Gohan's grandfather, Bardock. What do you want?" Bardock snapped, his patience fraying quickly.

Piccolo stepped forward so he was the focus of the Com-Screen "Recently I decided to train your grandson to protect himself from the Dark Kingdom…"

Bardock cut him off "Is that this is about? I know my grandson is weak, but to call on a Com-Screen…"

"Your grandson is far from weak," Piccolo interrupted "With training, he could be the strongest warrior in both the Central and Western Quadrants."

Bardock looked at Piccolo for a moment, his face completely unreadable "You don't get out much, do you?" Bardock quipped.

Dende quickly stepped in front of Piccolo, not wanting this to devolve into an all out argument between the two "The full details were given to Gohan's mother when he spoke to her on the Com-Screen last, surely you know that?"

Bardock looked awkward for a moment "Whatever my daughter-in-law may have been told is none of my concern. Do you honestly expect me to believe Gohan is as strong as you say? I've known the boy his entire life and whatever he may be, he does not have the strength of a true Saiyan."

Before Piccolo could reply to this, Dende cut him off once again "But he may have, if we knew why he hates fighting. We believe that something happened to him that's made him turn away from fighting completely, possibly something incredibly traumatic."

There was a pause has Bardock paused in thought and there was a slight shift in his expression and his eyes darted to a direction where they weren't looking directly at the Nameks _"Whatever he says next will be a complete lie." _Piccolo thought as he recognised the signs.

"I can't think of anything." Bardock replied, confirming what Piccolo suspected "Don't try to excuse my grandson's weakness. He's no Saiyan and that's the end of it." The screen suddenly turned black, Bardock had switched the Com-Screen on his end off.

"Well that could have gone better." Dende muttered sarcastically "I think we know something definitely did happen now. I wonder why he's so determined not to tell us."

"Probably because he doesn't want Kakarott to find out," Piccolo replied "What now?"

"Well there's always Gohan himself. I think the boy would trust you enough to talk to you Piccolo."

Piccolo said nothing at first before eventually saying "I'll do that in a few days. For now… I'll keep my distance."

Dende nodded, not really agreeing but understanding why Piccolo was thinking that "Well, do you want to go to the Festival? It's not as if we have anything else to do."

Piccolo grunted "Never been to a Festival before…"

"Well now's a good place to start as any!" Dende said cheerfully and slapped Piccolo on the shoulder "If what Kami told me was true, then the Festival is something not to be missed."

Piccolo rolled his eyes but grunted "Alright. Oh, Dende?"

"Yes?"

"Take your hand off my shoulder or I'll rip it off."

XxX

Gohan was getting somewhat worried, he had been jostled, pushed and brushed past more in the last ten minutes than he had been in his entire life and still he couldn't contain his amazement at the sheer amount of life around him. Although he was off the main road for the celebrations, there was still plenty of people and stalls advertising games, one of which caught Gohan's eye. It was one that had a small crowd of children (Roughly around Gohan's age) gathered around it, their voices raised in complaint.

"This stall's fixed!" A young boy with blond hair cried out "Those coconuts are glued on or something! I want my money back!" This was echoed by other shouts from the rest of the children, some of whom had already been conned.

The stall owner smirked in a superior manner "I run an honest stall," He said "If you kids are that whiny over losing a game, I suggest you go and do something easier, like counting to five." The sneer in the man's voice made Gohan act.

"I'll have a go," Gohan called out "And if I win, you have to give them back their money." Everyone turned to look at Gohan with some surprise. Rather than wear his casual clothing, Gohan was wearing a long white robe that was wrapped around him. Adorned with various symbols of the Royal Family, it looked to one and all that Gohan was a child of an aristocratic family.

The man running the stall smirked once more. The robe Gohan was wearing obscured his muscles and tail and in truth, he just looked like an ordinary eleven year old "I'll tell you what kid, if you win, I'll give them back double. But if you lose, you pay me triple and have to work on the stall for the rest of the night."

Gohan nodded and stepped forward, taking a ball from the front of the stall "Um…" A voice said, it was the boy with blond hair "I don't think you should do that. This guy's got it fixed and we don't want you to miss the Festival if you lose…" Several voices agreed. They didn't want their money back that badly.

Gohan smiled at the crowd "Don't worry, I won't lose." He grabbed a ball from the stall in front of him and took aim. Just looking at the stall, he saw that there was something wrong with it; the entire thing just gave a sense of crookedness. Wanting to teach the stall owner a lesson, Gohan cocked his arm back and threw the ball straight and true. The coconut exploded upon impact with the ball, hair, milk and splinters were showered throughout the stall as people ducked for cover.

When stillness had returned, everyone peeked to look at the stall to see the coconut had been completely obliterated by the shot. The stall owner stood open mouthed, shocked that Gohan had done so much damage. He glanced down when he noticed a hand stretched below his face "I think you said something about paying everyone double?" Gohan asked.

The stall owner took a second to recover before glaring straight at Gohan "I'll do no such thing you little freak! It's obvious you…" The stall owner stopped suddenly as Gohan placed his hand around his wrist.

"You promised you'd pay back the money double." Gohan said flatly "And I'd like an apology for that 'freak' remark." Although the man was over twice as tall as Gohan, the grip the boy had on his wrist was akin to that of a giant. Although it didn't hurt yet, there was a definite feeling that it could and would if Gohan didn't get his way. The stall owner scrabbled in his pouch and quickly produced the money promised, thrusting it into Gohan's face as his panic overtook him "And?" Gohan asked.

"I'mverysorrynowpleaseletgo." The man blurted out as the pressure didn't let up. Gohan paused for a second, and then released his hand, smiling gently.

Turning to the crowd of kids, Gohan held out the money notes he had been given "These belong to you I believe." He said gently. The group paused before they began to reach out and take the money, each one thanking him as they did so.

There was an awkward pause as nobody spoke. Then, the blond boy blurted out "That was awesome! How did you do that?!"

Gohan blushed slightly at the compliment and replied "Well I just sort of threw the ball…"

"No, I mean how did you split the coconut so badly? I thought all you toffs were pansies!"

Gohan blinked in confusion "Toffs?" He asked.

"Yeah, you know. Posh, knobby." Still seeing Gohan's confused expression, the blond boy sighed "Rich. You're rich aren't you?"

Gohan paused at this as he thought about it "Well… I do get my own bedroom and bathroom if that's what you mean." The group looked at each other at the reply. Either Gohan was rich and dumb or he had a different definition of wealth that everyone else had.

"What's your name anyway?" The blond boy asked.

"Gohan Yori Ox is my full name. But my friends call me Gohan."

"Ox? You're from the Ox Kingdom? How'd you manage to stay on the Moon?" Someone who was familiar with naming styles called out.

Now it should be noted that Gohan had never been the centre of attention quite like this before. The last time a large crowd had paid a great deal of attention towards him was when the Dark Kingdom had invaded the Palace and tried to kill him. This was an altogether different and much more pleasant experience and Gohan was unwilling to spoil it quite yet. For that reason, he decided to avoid telling the entire truth "I'm scheduled to be married…"

The small group all gave the "Ohh…" That means they'd finally understood what was going on. Regardless of the nadir of relationships the Moon Kingdom and Earth were experiencing, a marriage between two prominent families would not be broken up without a great deal of dishonour on both sides. Gohan was of course trying to avoid the obvious question "Hey, ain't the Saiyan who's marrying the Princess named Gohan?" Someone asked.

"Nah, it's Goku I heard." Someone else called out.

"I thought it was Goten." Another voice said with some hesitance. The group then devolved into a huge debate about what the name of the Princess's fiancée was. Gohan could only look on as the names Goro, Gorgon and Gorgonzola were flung back and forth between the crowd of ten kids. It was eventually decided that they couldn't remember for certain and it didn't really matter; there was fun to be had.

"Do you want to come with us? We know the best places for fun and food. My names Orion by the way." The blond boy said.

Gohan smiled "That sounds great! Shall we go now?"

"Of course, there's this stall which does the best candy floss ever!" Orion said enthusiastically and the others agreed with the description. They led Gohan off through the streets to where the Festival continued.

XxX

"Where is he? We only had our backs turned for a minute…" It had been twenty minutes since Gohan had gone missing and Serena was fretting about like a mother hen. Sasami too looked around worriedly, wondering where Gohan could have gotten to.

Ami glanced over the crowds, trying to see through the various people that were blocking her view. Gohan wasn't to be seen at all "I don't think there's too much to be worried about Gohan, he's got the strength to get himself out of any trouble."

Serena shook her head at this "But this is the first time he's been in the city! Anything could happen to him. Like… like…"

"Like getting his head stuck to a wall." Rei said flatly.

"Yes! Wait, what?"

"Look over there." Rei said, pointing to a wall where Gohan had indeed got his head stuck to it. He was surrounded by a group of ten children all roughly his age who were in various states of concern, confusion, but largely amusement.

"Gohan!" Sasami cried out before rushing towards him and seeing what was going on "What happened?"

"There was an incident with some cotton candy…" Gohan said weakly as the rest of the Princesses arrived at the scene. They saw that Gohan had managed to tangle his hair in some of the thickest cotton candy known to the Moon Kingdom and then got it attached to the wall. Pulling it would either tear out his hair or (Knowing the strength Gohan possessed) Tearing down the entire wall. It took the Princesses a few seconds to realise this and less than a moment to burst into laughter.

Gohan sighed in annoyance "I've been through this already. Can we just skip the humiliation and get to the part where you get me free?"

After the Princesses calmed down, they took a closer look and saw that the hair was stuck fast "You friends of his?" Orion called out.

"Yes we are. I'm Sasami and these are…"

"Sasami? You're from Jurai?" Someone asked from the group. There was the faintest hint of awe in his voice. Jurai was seen as quite exotic by the Moon Kingdom's standards, stories about the eccentricities and strength of its people were well known. The group of ten looked at Sasami curiously, as if expecting her to do something extraordinary.

"Yes I am, but I think there's something more important to think about right now."

"Thank you for noticing." Gohan said sarcastically.

"Well we can't do anything without tearing his hair." Orion said "I can't think of anything else without chiselling out the wall."

"We could always cut some of the hair off." Mina suggested.

"No you couldn't." Gohan piped up, his voice suggesting that anything besides cutting his hair would be acceptable; decapitation included.

"It's either that or leave you here all night." Serena piped in, once again taking on the voice of a mother hen.

Gohan seemed to have some sort of inner struggle before giving in to himself "Alright, but only the bits attached to the floss, everything else you leave alone."

Mina volunteered to find some scissors from one of the stalls while Rei looked at Gohan curiously "I never thought you'd be concerned about your hair Gohan."

"It's a personal thing." Gohan said curtly as Mina came back with a pair of scissors.

"That was quick." Ami said.

"There's a necklace stall just over there. They saw what's happened with Gohan and once they stopped laughing, they agreed to lend me this pair." Mina walked over to where Gohan was and put the scissors close to his hair.

"Just the bits attached to the floss remember." Gohan interjected as fast as he could.

"Oh Gohan, I know what I'm do…"

_SNIP!_

"Oops…"

Gohan froze "What do you mean 'oops'?"

"I might have taken off a tiny bit more than I should have…" Mina said, her voice resonating with nervousness.

"A tiny bit?" Orion said "Any more and he'd have a bald patch!"

Gohan gently stood up and very slowly touched the spot which had been cut. Out of some sort of ancient survival instinct, everyone began to eye possible escape routes. Mina began to look for Human shields. There was an awful silence as Gohan felt the spot before he finally said "Well… I suppose I'll need to get the rest cut now." Everyone breathed in relief and visibly relaxed, Mina especially.

"I know this really good barber on the High Street if you like." Orion chimed in "He'll be able to clear that up easily."

"It'll wait." Gohan said gently "Let's have some fun first OK?" The question was greeted with shouts of agreement. The crowd of seventeen proceeded to walk down the street, preparing to enjoy the Festival even further.

XxX

Three hours later and the calls of the Palace beds were becoming overwhelming to the group of seven. Orion and the rest had gone off to their own homes once the call from their parents had arrived. They had left without even working out who the Princesses were, despite handling some currency which had Serena's face engraved on it (Though it wasn't a particularly good likeness it must be said). The group were currently walking along the Nebula Bridge, a short, very low bridge which hung over the Nebula River and was a connection point between the Palace and Lunos.

The Bridge was decorated with lanterns of various colours; each one cast a glimmer of colour into the river, reflecting a pretty shade. The group stopped for a moment as they looked down, admiring the view, Mina even sat on the arch on the side "Well that was a really good night." She said "For a moment though, I really thought Gohan was going to try and get revenge on me. You wouldn't though would you Gohan?"

Gohan smiled gently, leaned over and pushed Mina backwards, sending her into the river below "Yes actually." He said simply.

Ami looked down into the calm waters as Mina brought herself back to the surface "It's a good thing the water's shallow in this part of the river."

"Is it?" Gohan asked, but grinned, showing he was joking.

"GOHAN!!!" Mina yelled from the river "I'M GONNA GET YOU FOR THAT YOU LITTLE TWERP!"

Gohan leaned over the side and said "That's payback for my hair! Just come over to the back, I'll help you out and we'll say no more about it, OK?"

There was some grumbling from the river before Mina finally gave an agreement. Gohan turned to walk over to the bank when Sasami gave his head a quick smack "That was just mean Gohan! How could you do that to Mina?"

"She cut my hair!"

"So? You would have been stuck to the wall if she hadn't!"

"Look it's a personal thing OK? I don't want to talk about it."

"And why's that?" Sasami demanded.

"Because it's personal!" Gohan snapped, his temper getting the best of him for once. Sasami looked at Gohan in surprise, she'd never known Gohan to snap like that or show any sort of anger. Even Serena, who had seen what Gohan's anger could do, was surprised to see him showing it towards Sasami like that.

Gohan reached the bank and pulled Mina out in silence, not even answering to Mina's complaints in any way. When Mina finally saw the look on Gohan's face, she became quiet and a little concerned. The others had followed Gohan by now and shared Mina's concern. After an awkward few moments, Sasami began to say "Gohan, what did you mean by…" Before a beeping sound cut her off. Sasami looked down and reached into her pocket from where she pulled out a small communication device, effectively a mobile phone.

Sasami put the phone to her ear and listened "Ayeka? What's wrong…? Speak slower I can't… What about mother? Message? What do…?" There was a long, terrible pause as Sasami's turned a deadly shade of white and she began to shiver. Eventually, her voice returned "I'll… be right there." She switched off the phone and for a few seconds, looked completely blank. Before anyone could say anything, she then began to run as fast as she could towards the Palace; the others paused for a moment before trailing behind her.

XxX

"_This is a message from Empress Misaki III of Jurai. The House of Amaki has betrayed Jurai to our enemies of the Dark Kingdom. The have staged a rebellion with weapons and soldiers from Queen Beryl and are currently besieging the Palace. We ask of all our Allies to join us in defeating this threat. We can hold out, but we need help to defeat them. We…"_

"Switch it off." Queen Serenity said wearily, she had seen the message seven times since it arrived four hours ago and it hadn't improved one bit. Not wanting to think of the communication from the Com-Screen for now, Queen Serenity asked "How are Sasami and Ayeka?"

Kami answered the question, he had spoken to the Princesses and the others since the news arrived "They're not very good. Duke Tenchi managed to calm Ayeka down but I'm afraid she and Sasami took the news very badly. They've both been given something to help them sleep but they'll need to stay on the Moon until the situation passes."

Queen Serenity nodded sadly, her own sadness mixed with grief for the two whose Home World was now effectively in a Civil War. The Situation on Jurai had always been unstable with the Four Great Families, but for one side to actually go to the Dark Kingdom for help, it was indeed appalling "Do we have anything positive?" She asked the two in front of her. General Cosmos stood forward, he and Kami were the Queen's most trusted confidants; she had called this meeting between the three to decide on what to say before her War Council.

"On a good note, they can't possibly win." Cosmos said "Our new Battle Star Ship _Tucano _has ambushed a transport that was taking the rebels vital supplies. Without them, the conflict on Jurai should be over in short order before too much damage is done. I recommend sending some of our own forces, preferably new ones so that they can get a taste of combat while destroying the Dark Kingdom forces."

Queen Serenity nodded her head at this, it made sense "I still don't see why they made suck a risk though. Surely the House of Amaki knew they'd become a pariah if they acted this coup out."

"I imagine that they thought the Dark Kingdom was going to make a move to secure their borders and expand into the Northern Quadrant further. If anything, the Amaki are simply being used as pawns to weaken the Northern Quadrant and by extension, us."

Queen Serenity nodded while Kami suddenly went blank "Very well then Cosmos, we'll go according to your plan. Also, send another Battle Ship to orbit around Jurai; they are not to get any reinforcements or supplies through. And tell Ayeka and Sasami I'll see them when they want, to talk things over."

Cosmos gave a salute and proceeded to march out of the room before Kami said "Cosmos, may I have a private word with you?" The General looked confused but nodded in agreement and Kami followed him out of the room and into the empty corridor outside.

"An awful business." Cosmos muttered as the door shut behind them.

"Is it really?" Kami said sarcastically "You'll realise that with this, the whole Northern Quadrant will be in uproar and they'll all be throwing whatever support they can behind you. The Moon Kingdom will now have the entire Northern Quadrant as Allies and its influence increased a hundred-fold in the Quadrant."

Cosmos stared at Kami, his face unreadable "That's one way of looking at it I suppose."

"And the _Tucano_ finding that transport of the Dark Kingdom in the vastness of Space, quite convenient, don't you agree? And as for your reaction, it seems as if you had a plan all ready for this scenario."

Cosmos's face was still as granite as he listened to Kami talking before he replied "And do you have a point at all?"

"How much of what happened in that room for my benefit? Did you know what was going to happen on Jurai before tonight?" Cosmos still made no reply "Did you keep news of this from Her Majesty? Did you go behind her back…?"

At last, Cosmos looked outraged "If you're questioning my loyalty to the Queen, Namek, you'd better have something to back it up with!"

Kami nodded but then looked shocked "Cosmos," He said hoarsely "How much did Serenity know about this?"

Cosmos looked at Kami before saying "Do you really want to know Kami? Think about your answer very carefully."

"I don't believe it," Kami said "You, both of you knew that there would be a coup on Jurai and you did nothing to stop it? People have died this night because of your double dealing Cosmos! Innocent people…"

"And what else should we have done?!" Cosmos snapped "Inform the Empress about the rebellion? You know how Jurai works Kami, they would have swept it under the rug and nobody would have known anything about it! They like to think that their Four Houses are untouchable despite the evidence right in front of them!" Cosmos took a deep breath as he went on "But this way, at least we can now fight against the Dark Kingdom without pushing ourselves to the limit. With their aid, and even the Saiyans, this War will be over a lot sooner than we dared hope."

Kami glared at him, his anger unmistakeable "And that's what you'll tell yourself to help you sleep at night is it?"

Cosmos paused before he answered "Are you familiar with the history of Earth at all Kami?" Kami saw little point to this but went along by shaking his head anyway "Well centuries ago, they had a conflict which they called World War Two. One of the nations fighting in the War, Britain, had managed to break the secrets of their enemies coding system and they knew every little secret the enemy did, to a certain extent anyway. Well one day, the British found out that one of their cities was going to be put through one of the worst bombing raids they had ever suffered before, and the leader of Britain, a man named Winston Churchill, was left with a difficult choice. Should he evacuate the city as much as possible and put up much more defences than usual, at the risk of alerting their enemies that they had broken their code but saving many lives? Or should he let the bombardment go on without any great changes and thus keep the greatest advantage they had in the War but suffer many casualties in the process? I was left with that choice Kami, should I have let Jurai know what was going to happen and therefore destroy any chance of immediate aid from the Northern Quadrant? Or was I right in letting the coup take place and assuring that we gained Allies in the process along with shortening the War and saving the lives of why soldiers? Was I and Her Majesty wrong in making the choice we did?"

Kami said nothing but gave the General one last glare before turning on his heel and leaving. Cosmos watched him go before carrying out his orders.

To be continued…

**Dreadfully sorry about all the political stuff at the end but I did enjoy writing it and I do believe it offers meat to the story somewhat. Hope you enjoyed and please read and review!**


	17. Flight

A Marriage of Convenience 

The room was silent. Only those with the keenest of hearing would just be able to make out the slow breathing of the figure in the room, his deep meditation not allowing any distractions. Strength through mental prowess was the key, meditation was the way to mental prowess and therefore, true strength. Absolutely nothing was to prevent him from becoming even stronger.

"Mr. Piccolo? Can I speak with you?"

Piccolo opened his eyes and gave a little sigh at the interruption. He turned around and saw Gohan standing at the door of his room. The young boy was clad in his usual casual clothing and held a concerned expression on his face. The rebellion on Jurai three days ago had put everyone under a lot of strain. But Piccolo knew that this wasn't the reason Gohan had come to him "Sit down Gohan." The Namek said calmly.

Gohan did so in front of Piccolo, choosing the floor rather than the solitary chair so he and Piccolo would be face to face. There were a few awkward seconds before Gohan spoke "If you don't mind me asking Mr. Piccolo, how come you've been avoiding me the last few days?"

Piccolo didn't reply at first, trying to size up his answer in his own mind before he said it to Gohan. Eventually he asked "Gohan, do you trust me?" Gohan nodded enthusiastically "How much?" Piccolo asked.

"With my life." Gohan said, without the merest hint of hesitation in his voice.

Piccolo was honestly surprised by this answer. He had been under the impression that Gohan had lost the trust gained between the two since their sparring session "Why do you trust me Gohan?"

The young boy looked nonplussed, as if the answer was too obvious to even say "Because you saved my life Mr. Piccolo and you're a great friend."

Piccolo could think of no other reply than "You saved my life, twice in fact."

Gohan blushed slightly "Well it's what friend's do, help each other right?"

Piccolo nodded before deciding to finally come clean "I didn't think you still trusted me after what happened in our training session. I thought I had pushed you too far with what I said."

Gohan shook his head emphatically at this "It… hurt when you said it but I know you didn't mean it Mr. Piccolo."

Piccolo paused before smiling slightly "Guess I don't know you all that well after all. Here's I was thinking you wanted nothing to do with me after what happened."

Gohan simply shook his head as a reply "You're one of my best friends Mr. Piccolo, why wouldn't I want to talk to you?"

Piccolo allowed himself to give Gohan the only gesture of affection he could think of, the Namek reached over and gently ruffled Gohan's hair, making the young boy chuckle slightly. Piccolo stopped slowly and his smile faded "Gohan, I need to ask you, why do you hate fighting so much? You could be one of the most powerful warriors in the Galaxy if you just enhanced your powers."

There was a moments silence as Gohan avoided looking Piccolo in the eye before he decided to open up about what had happened with his uncle and grandfather three years ago. During his story, Piccolo remained stony faced and didn't say a word. When Gohan finished, Piccolo said nothing for a few moments before saying "Why didn't you tell your father about this?"

"Because I had nothing to prove what I said." Gohan answered sadly "My wounds were fully healed and Raditz would have denied it while Grandfather would have taken his side. And… and… I didn't want my father to think I was… weak."

Piccolo took a breath at hearing this, realising they were getting to the bottom of the problem, the clash of Gohan's personality and what he was expected to be. Piccolo leant over and placed his hand on Gohan's shoulder "And why would he think that?"

Gohan paused as his breath was caught in his throat; the very heart of the problem was finally out in the open and he no choice now but to let it out completely "Because a true Saiyan isn't supposed to be weak!" He blurted out "I'm not supposed to be someone who cries for help! I'm the son of the Ascended Saiyan! I'm supposed to be strong, not a… a… weakling…"

Piccolo watched as tears began to form in Gohan's eyes, the memories of the years of not being able to live up to his father's expectations, of not being able to overcome his own believed flaws and become the person other people wanted him to be. As comforting people wasn't something he'd had much experience with, Piccolo went with the only way he knew "Gohan," He snapped "You aren't a weakling! You're strong, even more than you realise. Were you weak when you stood against the forces of the Dark Kingdom? Were you weak when you helped me fight the Four Generals, the strongest warriors under Queen Beryl's command? You're not weak Gohan, and you're only fooling yourself by thinking so."

Gohan took Piccolo's words in but ploughed on regardless "But I've never shown that kind of strength before! I've never been as strong as other Saiyans my age; I'm not able to fight them on their level. The Dark Kingdom was only a fluke…" With a voice tinged with sadness, Gohan muttered "My uncle was right…"

Piccolo felt a flash of anger as he heard those words. He looked Gohan straight in the eye before saying "Don't you _ever _say that again. Your uncle was a jealous, vicious thug who cared for nothing but his pride. You've never been weak apart from when you've let what people have told you drag you down. You have the potential to be the strongest warrior if you can just forget what people have said and give it your all."

Gohan paused and he could only answer weakly "But I can't control myself Mr. Piccolo. I almost killed you last time, what if it happens again?"

"That's what training is for Gohan! To learn what you can and can't do and improve yourself! You've got great strength Gohan; just let me help you control it!"

Gohan made no sound, his face screwed up in deep thought. Eventually he said "Do you really think you can help me Piccolo?"

"Yes I can." Piccolo said firmly "Believe me Gohan, you're not the only one who's had difficulty controlling their rage when they've been pushed. I know what it's like to lose my senses in battle and I learned to overcome that weakness, as will you."

Gohan sniffed and smiled for the first time "Alright Mr. Piccolo, I'll… I'll do it." Then, much to Piccolo's surprise, the young boy actually hugged him. Piccolo was unable to think of how to respond until he allowed himself to smile and gently ruffled the boy's hair.

"Starting tomorrow morning, we really go into business. And I hope you'll pick up on your attack." Piccolo said with some enthusiasm.

Gohan broke the hug and nodded firmly, his confidence greatly restored "Don't worry Mr. Piccolo, I promise I won't let you down!"

"Then go to bed. Believe me Gohan, tomorrow will be a very tough day for you." Gohan's face fell slightly as it was still quite early in the evening. But his loyalty to Piccolo won out and he nodded.

"All right then. Good night Mr. Piccolo!" Piccolo murmured a reply and Gohan left the Namek in his room alone once more. Once he was sure that Gohan wasn't going to come back, Piccolo punched the ground beneath him with as much strength as he could muster in a blow of pure fury. He remembered what had happened when he had tried to ask Bardock about Gohan's aversion to training and the old man had refused him an answer. No wonder, if that was how he treated his grandson!

Piccolo had kept his emotions in check while Gohan had been there, not wanting to upset the boy even more than he already was. But now… hearing the story of how Gohan's uncle had almost killed the boy and how Bardock had helped Raditz in covering it up… no wonder Gohan had wanted nothing to do with fighting with people like that in his life.

But it wasn't just the physical deed which had so angered Piccolo, but the emotional scars too. Gohan had actually believed what he had been told that day, that he was a weakling and a shame to his father. If he actually met Bardock, Piccolo was unwilling to bet that either of them would walk away unscathed _"No one," _Piccolo promised _"No one will hurt that boy in the same way again!"_

XxX

Although Piccolo had told him to go to bed, Gohan decided to take the long way round and walk through the gardens, enjoying the sights and smells before he slept. He was immensely surprised however, when he saw Sasami sitting by the fountain that the two had fallen into some time ago. Looking at her, Gohan could see that the Civil War on Jurai was still depressing her immensely. The Princess was looking into the water of the fountain, making no movement and her face was stony and lined with sadness. Gohan slowly approached and cleared his throat to let Sasami know he was there.

Sasami spun around in surprise and upon seeing Gohan, sigh a little, pleased to see him "Oh, hi Gohan," She said quietly "Do you want to sit down by me?" Gohan did so, noticing that Sasami appeared to be near, exhaustion, as if she hadn't slept since the night of the Festival.

"How have you been?" Gohan asked, having not seen Sasami since the Festival. She, along with the rest of the Jurai entourage, had remained in their quarters, shocked at the news from their home World.

Sasami gave a sniff "Not very good," She replied "I've been so scared since I heard about what had happened. We've only just received some news about it an hour ago. My mother is safe and the House of Amaki was driven away from the Palace thanks to the Moon Kingdom's reinforcements."

"That's good news." Gohan said, a little uncertainly, trying to cheer Sasami up without running the risk of upsetting her.

Sasami sighed "It's not what I expected for my birthday though."

Gohan did a double take, cursing himself for his forgetfulness. Sasami had mentioned that her birthday when he had first arrived, seemingly an age ago "I'm so sorry Sasami! I completely forgot about it!"

Sasami gave a sad shrug "It's OK. I forgot myself until someone wished me a happy birthday." The young girl allowed herself a small bitter laugh "Not that there's much to be happy about. My World's in a Civil War, I almost lost my mother and I've no one to actually be happy with."

Both Gohan and Sasami remained silent for some time, both lost in their own thoughts. After several minutes of silence, Gohan finally made a decision and he stood up "I've just thought the present I'm going to give you."

Sasami looked up in confusion at this before looking back down "Thanks for the offer Gohan but there's nothing you can give me that'll make me feel better."

Gohan gave a grin "I think this will, what do you say?" Sasami gave him a curious glance before nodding. Gohan smiled and said "OK, to start off, stand up and close your eyes."

Sasami looked at Gohan in bewilderment but complied with what he asked, muttering "You best not drag me into the fountain again." Gohan merely gave a chuckle in response.

When Sasami had done what Gohan asked, she was surprised when she felt his arms wrap around her stomach. The grip was firm but gentle and Sasami realised that she was blushing "Gohan, what are you…"

"It'll be clear in a moment Sasami." Gohan replied "Now just step back so your feet are standing on mine… That's it. Now before we start, I just need to ask, how much do you trust me Sasami?"

The earnestness in Gohan's voice was matched by the honesty in Sasami's answer "With my life." She replied. Though she couldn't see it, Gohan gave a genuine smile at those words.

"In that case, stay still and keep your eyes closed until I say otherwise." With those words, silence descended and all Sasami felt was the breeze on her face and Gohan's arms around her, enjoying both although the breeze was stronger than she expected…

After some time of silence, Sasami's patience began to grow thin. Before she could say anything however, Gohan spoke "Alright, you can open your eyes now." Still confused, Sasami nevertheless opened her eyes and almost immediately gasped in shock. The Palace grounds were now far below them, the two were floating far above the roof of the Palace itself and in the near distance, the city of Lunos could bee seen as clear as day. Rather than panic, Sasami actually laughed, enjoying the experience of the air being beneath her feet "I didn't know you could fly!" She called out.

"I've been practicing!" Gohan replied "The gravity's so different here that this is the first time I've been able to try it." This was largely true. Gohan had found the gravity on the Moon Kingdom rather difficult adjusting too and the dents in the ceiling of his bedroom was a testament to his various failed attempts of keeping control when in flight. He had finally been able to master it and had been hoping to show it to everyone at once before teaching them the secret but seeing Sasami so sad, he decided to give her a taste of it "Now don't struggle, I'll pick up the pace a little!"

Gohan changed position so that both he and Sasami were now on floating on their fronts, looking straight down. Sasami quickly picked her head up so she was looking straight ahead to the sky. As much as this was fun, the height was still quite intimidating to look straight down from. Making sure he had a firm grip on Sasami, Gohan then began to slowly swoop through the sky, fast enough to make a breeze and make it fun but not fast enough to make it dangerous "You enjoying this?" Gohan asked as they did a circle around a particularly high part of the Palace.

"It's great!" Sasami exclaimed "You have to teach how you do this!" She whooped as Gohan made a dive to the ground before pulling back up.

"You got it Sasami!" Gohan yelled, feeling quite pleased that he'd be teaching flying to someone else. The technique was an old one as far as Saiyans were concerned; all about manipulating their own energy to bring their body high into the air and making them fly. Gohan had learned it when he was twelve and it was the bewilderment of many Saiyans that other Races in the Galaxy had not developed their skills far enough for even this simple technique.

For half an hour, Gohan flew Sasami around the Palace before he set her back down in the Palace gardens, both of them beaming. Sasami was still quite energetic and laughed hen Gohan set her down properly, walking forward a few paces and turning to face Gohan "That was great!" She yelled "You've got to teach me how to fly like that Gohan! You've got to!"

Gohan smiled at the girl's enthusiasm, itself reminding him of his own enthusiasm at four years old when his father had actually been around to teach him the art of flying "I'll teach you Sasami, but it might take a bit of time."

"I'll wait! To be able to do that, I'd wait a hundred years!" Sasami then calmed down and gave Gohan a warm smile "Thanks for this Gohan, I really needed it. I feel a lot better." She suddenly leant in and gave Gohan a gentle kiss on his cheek "You're a really great friend."

"Bvuhz?" Gohan mumbled, his face had turned a deep scarlet and a dopey expression had come on his face. He remained still and Sasami looked at him, puzzled. She waved her hand in front of his face to try and get a reaction of some kind, but to little effect. With no other ideas, Sasami went over to the fountain, cupped her hands, picked up some water in her hands and then threw it in Gohan's face, snapping him out of his stupor. Although he was still furiously blushing, Gohan managed to smile a little "Sorry about that, I was miles away then…"

Sasami gave a giggle before asking "Gohan, have you ever had a girlfriend at all?"

Gohan almost died at this question and the shade of red on his face went even deeper. He eventually managed to mumble out "Well… I'm getting married to Serena after all…"

Sasami rolled her eyes, _"Boys can be so dumb." _She thought "I didn't mean it like that Gohan." She said "I meant have you ever met a girl that you really, really liked? A girl that you… kissed?"

Gohan's brain was several miles behind what was happening at this point and he could only think to ask "Um… do you count?"

Sasami gently took Gohan's hand into hers and the two looked at each other for some time before she said "I could be…"

Before anything else could happen, a rough voice from a distance said "I'm not interrupting, am I?" Gohan and Sasami turned and saw that Piccolo was standing some distance away from them, looking on.

"M… Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan called out, his face flushed with embarrassment at being caught out by his mentor "What are you doing here?!"

"I felt your energy level increase and wanted to know why. Especially since I told you to go to bed to get ready for training and instead I find you with…" Piccolo paused as he looked at Sasami, realising that he didn't know her name "This girl." He finished.

"I'm Sasami." The Princess said "I was feeling sad about what was happening on my Home World and Gohan cheered me up by giving me my birthday present." She beamed "And later, he's going to teach me how to fly!"

Piccolo said nothing but he sensed an atmosphere between the two that he was unfamiliar with. When he had interrupted them, not only had shock been etched on their faces, but disappointment too… "We'll have to see if he's got any energy left to teach you after he's been taught by me. I'm going to be teaching him martial arts from tomorrow."

"Can I join in?" Sasami asked, honestly surprising the other two "I've never seen an actual martial arts fight before, it could be fun!"

Piccolo and Gohan shared a look that said that whatever their experience had been with martial arts so far, it hadn't been fun. Eventually Piccolo said "I suppose we could always teach you the basics…" His tone of voice making seeming to suggest the words 'not that I actually want to' should have finished that sentence.

Sasami appeared to be oblivious to the tone however and smiled broadly at the answer "That's great! Maybe I can get to be as strong as you guys!" Piccolo and Gohan once again shared a look that said more than they were actually saying.

"Maybe if you just watch us at first and see what it's like before joining in…" Gohan suggested uncertainly, worried about his friend getting hurt.

"Well… OK. But you better remember to teach me how to fly too!"

"He will." Piccolo said "Now can I just talk to Gohan alone for a minute?" Sasami looked puzzled but walked away until she was out of earshot. Before Gohan could say anything once Sasami was gone, Piccolo asked sardonically "Which one are you marrying again?"

Gohan blushed at this question, remembering how he had enjoyed the touch of Sasami's hand on his and the sensation of the kiss on his cheek. Rather than digging any further into the subject, Piccolo continued "I hope you don't think that I'll allow you to slack off with her when you have real training to do."

Gohan straightened up "I promise I won't slack off on anything. I'll train with you and teach the others how to fly."

Piccolo shrugged his shoulders "Why bother? They can do that as easily with magic as well as their energy."

"A true warrior should never limit their own options. They should be able to adapt to any situation. My father told me that." Gohan retorted with more than a little pride in his voice.

Piccolo kept his opinions on Gohan's father to himself and settled with saying "Just say a goodnight to your friend and go to bed Gohan. It's going to be a very tough day for you tomorrow as it is." Gohan nodded his agreement and hurried to Sasami, leaving Piccolo by himself. Though the Namek knew very little about how people other than himself acted emotionally, he had seen a connection between Gohan and Sasami which he hadn't seen elsewhere. It struck him as being very deep and something he hadn't experienced himself. As he saw Gohan give Sasami a hesitant farewell, Piccolo thought back to his earlier sarcastic question and instead made it into _"Who should Gohan be marrying?"_

XxX

General Cosmos looked at the screen with a great deal of satisfaction. The electronic screen showed the tactical information regarding the tactical situation on Jurai. The latest reports showed that the combined forces of the Moon and the Loyalist forces of Empress Misaki III had managed to drive the rebels from the Palace and capital city of Jurai. With the rebels unable to receive any supplies due to the Moon Kingdom's blockade and with the people of Jurai rising up against the House of Amaki, the rebellion was going to be over as soon as it started.

Cosmos felt the faintest twinge of guilt at what had been happening the last few days, Kami's words resonating around his head. Cosmos discarded such feeling however; he needed to focus on more important matters, one of which concerned the upcoming marriage of Princess Serena. The marriage was just under six weeks away and Prince Darien's infiltration past the notice of both the nations of Earth and the Moon Kingdom needed to be perfect. The Council of Earth was still extremely hostile to the Moon and the embargo between the two Worlds was still ongoing. If Prince Darien was known to have broken the line set by the other Nations of Earth, he could be in danger of losing his Throne and the Moon Kingdom would be in danger of losing a moderating influence in the Council.

General Cosmos sat down at his desk and reflected upon the situation between Prince Darien and Princess Serena. All in all, it wasn't too different from one he himself had faced many years ago. Yearning for a girl… no, young woman more correctly, that had been given to another. The words that Prince Darien used in his letters to Princess Serena concerning his undying devotion to the Princess appeared to be strange echoes of Cosmos's own words those many years ago. For a fleeting instant, Cosmos reflected on what might have been if he, as a dashing young Captain back then, had been able to rise above his station and claim the woman he had loved so fiercely.

Cosmos brought himself back to reality. Such musings on what may have been were pointless when it was all said and done. He had grown to be a damn good General of Her Majesty's Armed Forces and the woman had married someone else and had a child. There was no hiding from these facts and Cosmos knew it. He had devoted himself to his duties as the woman did hers. There was still some part of Cosmos, one that had belonged to a younger man, one less mature and headstrong, who had longed for the woman, forgetting all about the proper thing to do and wanting what might have been. The General discarded such feelings, his duty was clear. He'd help Princess Serena and Prince Darien in their bid for each other; he would not allow those two to make the same mistake he had made.

To be continued…

**And now, this fic is over a year old. Not bad to actually keep my attention for that long it must be said. I'd like to thank all those who've read and reviewed so far and hope that whatever follows isn't disappointing. Don't forget to R&R! **


	18. Not Meant To Be

A Marriage of Convenience

The crash came once more as the sounds of battle filled the air. The taller warrior was in trouble and he knew it. Though his opponent was smaller and a lot less experienced, he had strength and pure determination on his side. The tall warrior took a breath as he stepped back, gathering his strength for his attack against his foe. With no hint of what he was about to do, the tall warrior dived forward with a cry and his fist upraised in an attack position. His opponent did likewise and the two charged at each other as their power increased in a bid to define who was truly the strongest.

"I BROUGHT COOKIES!" A familiar voice called out. The smaller figure stopped in his tracks and immediately ran to the location of the person who had shouted out. As he started to wolf down the cookies, the figure said "Don't be so greedy Gohan! Let Piccolo have some too!"

Gohan looked up from his cookie fest and managed to mumble out "'ry 'ammi." As the cinnamon started to kick in.

"GOHAN!" Piccolo yelled his expression one of complete fury "WE'RE TRAINING HERE! YOU DO NOT STOP FOR A SNACK!!

Gohan swallowed hard as he finished chewing "Sorry Mr. Piccolo!" He called out "But I can't help it, Sasami's cookies are the best!" Behind him, Sasami blushed at such a compliment. Her skills as a cook had really started to shine since Gohan had started to teach her how to fly. Every lesson she had brought the young boy some sort of treat for his stomach and every time the boy lapped it up. Piccolo was prepared to swear blind that Gohan had begun to put on weight.

His anger not sated, Piccolo marched up to where the two were standing and barked out "I don't care if they're the key to immortality! You do not interrupt our training on a whim!"

Gohan looked a little hurt at those comments and picked up one of the cookies and offered it to Piccolo "Try one Mr. Piccolo, you'll love them!"

Piccolo glared at Gohan but slowly took one of the cookies offered and bit into it slowly. He chewed for a few seconds before swallowing and throwing the rest into his mouth and eating that too "Well?" Sasami asked "What do you think Mr. Piccolo?"

Piccolo only allowed himself a grunt in reply before muttering "It wasn't too bad."

Sasami's face fell at this, thinking Piccolo hadn't liked what she had made. Gohan gave her an encouraging smile "Don't worry, if he doesn't spit it out, it means Mr. Piccolo thinks they're great!"

Piccolo glowered at Gohan while thinking _"How does he know that?" _Trying to overlook Gohan's insight, Piccolo snapped out "This is pointless. Get back into position Gohan, we're going to train."

"But you can't train now! Serena's birthday party is in a couple of hours and you two need to freshen up and I want Gohan to help me pick a dress for the meal!" Sasami yelled.

Gohan smiled nervously at this "Are you sure you need my help to do that?" In a tone of voice that said _"You really don't need my help to do that." _

"I'm going to need someone to give me an honest opinion on what to wear. Besides, you can take some time off training for me, can't you Gohan?" Sasami asked sweetly, her words triggering off various alarms in Gohan's head.

"Well I suppose I could take a few hours off. I have improved over the last few weeks, haven't I Mr. Piccolo?"

Piccolo grumbled although he knew it was true, over the last two weeks and five days, Gohan had improved sharply on his fighting skills. His power had increased incredibly along with his assertiveness in battle. Piccolo was unsure as to how long he'd be able to keep up with the boy; his power was certainly rising by the day. The Namek mentally shrugged, one half day off wouldn't be too bad he supposed "Alright, I suppose if it's only once a year…"

"Thanks Mr. Piccolo!" Sasami exclaimed and grabbed a hold of Gohan's wrist "Come on Gohan! We need to find you something nice to wear too!"

Gohan frowned in confusion "What's wrong with my usual clothes?"

Sasami paused and gave the usual frown a woman gives whenever a man says something like that "You're not going dressed in your duds are you? You'll need much better clothes if you're going to the birthday of a Princess!" She then proceeded to drag Gohan away, out of the isolated garden that Piccolo and Gohan had been using the last few weeks for training and into the direction of the Jurai ship that Sasami and her family had been living for ever since they had arrived.

Piccolo watched the two as Gohan managed to give a quick wave before vanishing from sight. He watched curiously while he also thought about the progress Gohan made these last few weeks. The trust between Piccolo and Gohan had been firmly cemented since their conversation and had only grown with time. Gohan's power had also grown incredibly… _"No, that's not it." _Piccolo thought _"His power has always been there, but he's only just been able to tap into it."_

Gohan's power was now more controlled, rather than at the mercy of extreme emotions, the power within Gohan had settled and the boy was now able to tap into it at will. Such was the strength that Piccolo was slowly realising that it wouldn't be long before the boy would outclass him completely. While that did some damage to Piccolo's ego, he was prepared to admit that Gohan did indeed have the potential to be far greater than any other warrior he had met.

Shrugging off these thoughts for a moment, Piccolo considered the idea of the birthday party that would take place later tonight. While formal celebrations were going on throughout the day, Princess Serena had invited most of those living in the Palace to join her for a private party. Piccolo was unsure of how this would turn out and found himself hoping that it wouldn't be a _complete _disaster.

XxX

By the standards of any person who lived on the Moon Kingdom, the meal spread out on the table was of superb quality. The faiter was crisp, the sauces delicious and the chocolates were superb. To a few other people who were at the party however, such food wasn't quite as appreciated as it might have been. Gohan and Sasami looked down at their plates glumly, thinking more about their own particular eating habits than the food in front of them. The meal was taking place in a minor hall within the Palace and the Royal Family, along with the visitors from Jurai, the Princesses and Kami who were taking the time to enjoy themselves.

Gohan dipped a slice of faiter into some sauce and nibbled on it, sighing somewhat as his stomach protested against what he was doing, the craving for something more substantial was getting to him. Although he had managed to keep himself satisfied with the normal diet of the Moon Kingdom for now, he still had occasional cravings for meat. Images of his mother's own cooking did little to help as well. He looked around the table and saw everyone enjoying the meal put in front of them, except Sasami who was sitting next to him. The two caught each other's expression and couldn't help but grin at themselves. Gohan leant over and whispered "You don't like this much either?"

Sasami gave a whisper of "It's… nice but it's nothing like the cooking back on Jurai. Back home, we'd have stews with great blobs of meat cooked to perfection. The gravy alone was thick enough to make a meal…" Sasami was forced to cut off as Gohan gave a loud whimper and his stomach growled in agreement of the boy's emotions.

"Don't Sasami, you're making it worse." Gohan muttered sadly.

"Hey Gohan! What's wrong?" Serena called out from her place near the end of the table "Don't you like the sauces?"

Gohan forced himself to smile "No I'm alright thanks Serena. Me and Sasami were just…"

"Wondering if we could have some more faiter if that's alright by you." Sasami quickly said, not wanting to appear ungracious. The look Gohan gave her went unnoticed by anyone else but considering what Sasami had just said, she could understand why Gohan was glaring at her like that.

Serena smiled and said "Sure! There's more than enough to go around." She passed over a bowl full of faiter which made it to the space in between Sasami and Gohan, much to the boy's displeasure. To save people's feelings however, he managed to get himself to take a forkful and began chewing mournfully. Serena failed to notice this however and continued to cheerfully talk away with other people around the table. Although the date for her marriage was getting nearer, one thing was still dominant in her mind, the meeting with Prince Darien in just three weeks time in fact. She so looked forward to seeing her love once more that there was little else she could think about. She was increasingly distracted to the point where Queen Serenity had to call out three times before getting her attention.

Snapping out of her day dreaming, Serena managed to mumble out "Yes mother?"

"I was just saying that you've been awfully distracted recently Serena, is everything alright?" The concern in Queen Serenity's voice was very sincere, the thought of her fifteen year old daughter getting married in less than a month was really starting to hit home now. Although Gohan was a good person, Serenity had hoped that Serena would have had some years before settling with a husband. But the accursed War with the Dark Kingdom had rendered that option impossible. Serenity was pulled from her thoughts as Serena answered her question.

"Oh… It's nothing mother. I was just thinking about Gohan's present." The lie worked well as it sounded plausible enough. Gohan's present of taking Serena for a flight around the Palace had been a huge surprise. Shocked at first, Serena had enjoyed the flight, yet not having the heart to tell Gohan she could have done it herself with her magic. Only when Gohan offered her lessons did she tell him, feeling unsure about using energy to do it, feeling much safer with her own magic. Gohan had been disappointed at her response and the two had yet to sooth over it. But for now, it was put to one side as everyone was busy eating.

Only Gohan sat with his spirits down, not wanting to eat the same old food and still hurt from Serena's rejection. He felt a nudge on his shoulder and Sasami whispered "You want to get out of here?" Gohan nodded dumbly as Sasami gave a sly wink and suddenly gave a loud groan. Everyone turned and looked as Sasami said "Ohhh… I don't feel so good. Can I be excused?" Queen Serenity nodded and looked on as Sasami began to stand up and Gohan began to help her.

"I'll make sure she gets to her rooms alright." Gohan quickly said as he started to 'help' Sasami exit the door. Sasami's sister, Princess Ayeka looked as if she was about to protest before stopping herself. Several lectures from her younger sister concerning Gohan's character despite his Sayain heritage had slowly started to get through to her. She had been influenced by her own mother's thinking on Saiyans but her sister was gradually showing her that there was more than one way to look at a person and their heritage.

Serena looked on as Gohan and Sasami left the room, feeling somewhat uncertain. She had witnessed the growing relationship between the two with some happiness. But as the two had been growing closer, she had begun to question where or not they were just simply friends. Although she thought of Gohan as only a good friend herself, the idea of him and Sasami being together in any way was quite disconcerting and she was determined to talk to Gohan and make him understand the situation clearly.

The hypocrisy was almost overwhelming.

XxX

Gohan and Sasami eventually made it back to the quarters where the Jurai delegation was staying where Gohan received a very welcome surprise. Sasami presented him with a plate of hot, succulent beef, roasted to perfection. It had been prepared earlier per Sasami's request as she had found out about Gohan's own opinion of the Moon Kingdom's eating habits. Gohan's eyes actually misted up when he saw the beef and had actually savoured the sight of the slab large enough for an entire family before he devoured it.

It took eighteen seconds, including the time Gohan took to wipe his mouth with a handkerchief "That was great!" Gohan almost yelled in joy "Do you have any more?"

Sasami, for her part was amazed by what she had just seen. While she had seen Gohan wolf down food before, the all paled in comparison to what had just happened "There was enough there for eight people…"

As a response, Gohan pointed towards his tail "But not enough for eight Saiyans. Anymore?" Sasami shook her head at the question and Gohan's face fell a little before perking back up "Well it was really nice anyway. Thanks Sasami!" He suddenly gave off a large burp that echoed throughout the room before covering his mouth and blushing furiously. Sasami rolled her eyes in a joking manner before sitting down next to him, getting quite close. They were in a rather large room that had a dining table with various seats and two doors leading to a bathroom and bedroom. Sasami had used it as her own personal living space these last few weeks and Gohan had visited it a few times, with the other Princesses of course so this was the first time alone with Sasami.

Sasami looked shy for a moment before saying "Gohan, I hate to have to tell you this but my sister's decided to continue with her honeymoon. We'll be leaving next week."

Gohan paused before looking at his friend in shock "But can't you at least stay until the wedding?" He almost yelled.

Sasami shook her head slowly in response "I don't know why but my sister has insisted that we leave." This was technically a lie. Princess Ayeka had been spending a lot of time on the Com-Screen with her mother over the last few days. Sasami had been willing to bet that her relationship had been a regular subject in their conversations. It hadn't been too difficult for Sasami to put two and two together to figure out the reason why they were leaving.

"Do you know when you'll be coming back?" The hope in Gohan's voice was huge; he really did care about Sasami. This made what she was going to say all the more heart breaking.

"Gohan… I don't know if I'll be able to see you again for a long time. We'll be returning to Jurai after the trip and I'm sure my mother will want to keep an eye on me to make sure I won't disappear again."

Gohan's face collapsed at those words, not wanting them to be true. He attempted a cheery disposition by saying "Well at least we can still write to each other…" Before tailing off. It wasn't the same and both of them knew it.

There was silence as Gohan tried to get his head around losing his best friend so soon. He had gotten used to seeing Sasami around so much that losing her now was like having his leg kicked away. He was brought back from his thoughts as he felt something on top of his hand and looked, Sasami had rested her hand onto his, clasping it gently. For a moment, neither said anything but both knew what they were thinking. The two had grown close to each other the last few weeks that the line of friendship and something else had been perceptively blurred.

There was a silence before Sasami spoke up once more "Gohan, when I asked you about why you had reacted so badly to Mina cut your hair, you snapped and didn't give me an answer. Why did you do it?"

There was a pause before Gohan spoke, saying the words as if they came from some effort "I was upset because my hair is supposed to remain as it is. As a Saiyan, hair is supposed to be symbolic of who you are. It's not supposed to be hacked away like it's nothing at all. I'm a Saiyan! I'm…" Gohan was cut off as he felt Sasami give his hand a gentle squeeze.

"But you're not really a Saiyan are you?" She said softly "You may have a father who's a Saiyan Gohan, but you're not him. And you shouldn't have to worry so much about being like him. You're a good person without being a good Saiyan Gohan, don't ever forget that."

Gohan said nothing as these words were spoken. The silence continued as both Sasami and Gohan paused and continued the contact with their hands. Gohan finally answered by saying "You're right, in a way. I'm not the typical Saiyan, I'm who I am. But I want my father to be proud of me so that… He'll come home."

Sasami gave Gohan's hand another reassuring squeeze and asked "Is that what you want? To see your dad again?"

As if she hadn't said anything, Gohan continued "I just want him to know that I'm trying so hard. Can't he just forget the War and come back to see mom and me?

Sasami nodded, understanding what drove Gohan so much to try and impress his father and his want for a normal family life. Unable to find it at his own home, he had tried to find it on the Moon Kingdom. Piccolo as a father, Serena as a sister and… Sasami began to blush at the thought of what she was.

Gohan gave a sigh, heartfelt and long "I hate fighting." He said "I really do. I know I train with Mr. Piccolo but that's only because I want to protect the people I care about like you Sasami."

Sasami picked her head up and smiled slightly "I think I can take quite good care of myself thank you very much." She said playfully "I'm almost eleven years old now. I think I can take care of myself."

Gohan smiled as well, liking the fact that Sasami was able to cheer him up, even now "Yeah, you're even scarier looking than the Dark Kingdom." He replied playfully, sticking his tongue out at her.

Sasami glowered at him, her face full of thunder although a slight twinkle in her eye showed she had recognised it was a joke. She suddenly dived forward towards Gohan, making the boy stumble backwards and fall to the floor, leaving him vulnerable to Sasami's attack, a pair of hands tickling his ribs. Gohan instantly started roaring with laughter as Sasami tickled him "Apologise now! Or else!" Sasami yelled over the noise.

"I'MSORRYSORRYSORRY!" Gohan shouted between laughter and Sasami relented, leaving Gohan very thankful.

Sasami leant in close to Gohan's face and grinned in victory "And I thought you were supposed to be the strongest person here."

"You cheated!" Gohan said, bringing his face up "You…" He stopped as he realised how close they were. Sasami seemed to realise this to and her face flushed. Neither of them moved as they looked at each other. Eventually it was Gohan who broke the silence by saying "Um… Are you OK?"

Sasami's blush continued to darken as she muttered "Y-yeah fine. It's just that… You like me don't you Gohan?"

A pause which seemed to last far longer than it actually did was ended by Gohan stammering "Y-yeah I like you."

Sasami's answer was soft and hushed, she being almost too anxious to say it "Then will you… would you…" With no words to describe it, Sasami simply leaned in and went to kiss Gohan. The boy shot back like he had been scalded though, leaving Sasami confused and stricken to her heart "W-what's wrong?" She asked, the shock of the rejection showing.

"I… I can't Sasami." Gohan said weakly "I can't do this, I'm w-with Serena."

"But you want to don't you?" Sasami asked sadly, her voice showing her crushing disappointment.

Gohan could only falter as he gave the honest answer "Y… yes I do. But I can't. I'm sorry." Sasami stood up and walked a few paces away; her face turned away from Gohan who was scared of what affect the things he had said might have had on her "Sasami look…" He began but was cut off as Sasami turned around and shook her head.

"Don't say it Gohan. I understand why you can't and I realise that you're right. I wish you weren't really." Sasami gave a long, heartfelt sigh before turning back once more and walking to her bedroom "I… I need to be alone for now Gohan. Is it alright if you leave?"

Sasami had walked into her bedroom and shut the door before Gohan could answer. After a minute, he to stood up and left, not back to the party but to his own room. It wasn't only Sasami's heart which had been broken with this encounter. Gohan needed time to think and recover as well.

XxX

The afternoon had turned to night and throughout the Palace, there was total silence apart from the patrolling of the sentries. In one room however, someone was still awake while the rest slumbered. Gohan stood on the balcony of his room, looking out over to the gardens, enjoying the peace he could steal whenever it came. The gardens allowed him to momentarily escape from the turmoil which had clouded him ever since the talk with Sasami. He knew he had hurt her, just as much as he had hurt himself.

Gohan did care about Serena a lot. She was a great friend and truly a person who he felt he could trust implicitly. But when he thought of Sasami, he knew that his feelings for her were so much deeper and complex. When she left, it would devastate him. Gohan only hoped that she would agree to continue their letter even after what had happened between them. The boy looked up to the stars and began to wish that it had been Jurai that had needed the marriage, not the Moon Kingdom. Gohan sighed and though about how in a few short weeks, he'd be a Royal Consort and married to Serena at eleven. He'd never have guessed that his life would have turned out this way. He had hoped to simply take his grandfather's Throne as the King of Ox once his time had come but even this had been denied him.

Gohan began to realise that everything that had since happened to him, almost everything in his entire life, had been a choice made by someone else. His life had been made when his parents decided to live on the Saiyan home World thus securing a lifetime of bullying and being an outcast. The marriage had been decided by his parents again, thus robbing him of his place as a King on Earth. Even his friendship with Piccolo had come about because the Dark Kingdom decided to launch an attack on the Moon. Almost everything in his life had come from somewhere else and the only thing he had to how for it was a handful of friendships mixed with the sense of being cheated, cheated out of a normal life, cheated out of his heritage and cheated out of being with a girl who he cared so deeply about.

A single tear fell down Gohan's cheek as he realised the truth of this. But he brushed it away quickly. He had no time for self pity or anything like that. He knew that he had to get married to Serena and that was all there was to it. He had so wanted things to be otherwise but it wasn't to be. For the sake of a home World he didn't even care about, Gohan had to surrender his own life to a cause he didn't even want to be a part of. With these thoughts in mind, Gohan turned around and went to bed, hoping to gain the sweet embrace of sleep to gain some comfort. It would not come for some time…

To be continued…

**OK, let me start be apologising unreservedly for the lateness of this chapter. For some reason I couldn't get into it and the process just really dragged. And the bad news? I've got major work coming up so I can't guarantee it'll be updated soon. I'm sorry about that but I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review.**


	19. Goodbye

A Marriage of Convenience

The day had arrived, things had been seen to and organised, the preparations made and everyone was ready to go. Only a few short hours were left before those from Jurai were set to leave for their destination on Princess Ayeka and Duke Tenchi's honeymoon. There was a general sense of regret that the party was leaving, especially so close to the Wedding. But what had been decided was sticking and for now, only a few matters were left to be cleared up. These however were the most personal and delicate ones left.

In the public gardens of the Palace, Gohan sat at the fountain, deep in thought. He had been waiting for over twenty minutes, watching out for the person he had been waiting for. Someone who he hadn't seen for a week when he had to refuse something which he had wanted so badly. A movement out of the corner of his eye made Gohan turn around and look up, a slight smile appearing on his face _"She really is a fast learner." _He thought as he saw Sasami glide gently down to the ground. She had indeed taken to flight as a duck to water as Gohan had taught her the techniques needed. She had even managed to obtain a look of grace as she flew, akin to a swan as she floated down to the ground.

"I thought I'd make an entrance." Sasami sheepishly after landing, her face slightly flushed from the energy used to fly.

"It looked great Sammy." Gohan said simply, smiling at the young girl who had just tried to make an impression blushed at the compliment "You've really done well to pick it up so much so quickly. You're a natural."

Sasami blushed further with each compliment and smiled a little more each time a word was said. This passed once Gohan stopped however and silence returned. Both wanted to say the same thing but couldn't. Too much was at stake for them to allow their emotions to get the better of them. The silence passed when Sasami spoke again "We'll be leaving shortly; I just thought I'd say one final goodbye to you… I'll miss you Gohan."

Gohan almost choked up at these words. What they needed to do hurt more than it should have and filled both with regret. Gohan could only trust himself to nod towards Sasami's words and only say "I'll miss you too Sasami. We can still visit each other one day and write letters to each other though can't we?"

"It won't be enough." Sasami said, allowing some emotion to come out and Gohan was forced to agree with her. No matter of how many visits they would have, no matter how many letters, it wouldn't be what they wanted at all. Sasami looked up towards Gohan and asked "I… I have to know. If it wasn't for this marriage Gohan, would you…? Would we…?"

Gohan nodded in response, giving the truth "We would." He answered, his voice cracking under the emotion he was feeling "I honestly wish we were, but we can't."

Sasami nodded, understanding. She walked towards Gohan and embraced him as hard as she could, not wanting to let go. Gohan hesitated but then returned the hug gently, rather fearful of hurting Sasami if he returned it full strength as Sasami herself was doing. They remained like that for some time, neither wanting to break the hug but knowing that it would have to be done despite their greatest wishes. It eventually came when Sasami looked up and with her voice filled with hope, asked "Couldn't we have one kiss? Just to say goodbye?"

Despite everything that Gohan felt about that question, his loyalty towards Serena still reigned above everything else "W… We can't." He said, his voice cracking once more "One would be too much."

"One would be nowhere near enough." Sasami gently retorted but knew that Gohan was trying to think of Serena as well as themselves in this. It would be wrong to betray her like this and both Gohan and Sasami knew it. Sasami very reluctantly broke the embrace and backed off, wiping the forming tears in her eyes. After a moment collecting herself, she looked at Gohan with a bright, but brittle smile and said "Well, we may as well do something together now that we're here." Sasami began to float in the air "Fancy a race?" She said and winked at Gohan.

Gohan smiled at his friend and said "You're on Sammy. Don't expect me to go easy on you though." And with those words, Gohan leapt into the air, flying above Sasami but not too fast, the moment being too precious to waste.

"Hey you cheater!" Sasami called out playfully and chased after him, her pigtails being blown back as she flew through the air after Gohan. What they were racing to and how many laps there were was never said, the only race being that against time as thee two tried desperately to fill in as much joy and laughter as they could in the time they had left. The two flew through the air in their game, not realising that they were being watched by a group of three figures.

"A shame really." Said Kami, his voice laced with regret as he looked up and Gohan and Sasami from the garden path the group were watching them from. They were largely shielded from sight of the two by remaining under a balcony from the Palace which overhung the path somewhat.

"What is?" A voice gruffly demanded. General Cosmos had been on his way back to his office from a meeting with the Queen when he had bumped into Kami and Dende with the younger Namek insisting that the two see something that he had noticed out of a window. Cosmos and Kami had managed to overlook their problems by establishing a policy of 'not talking to one another' although Cosmos's curiosity had broken that for now.

"That they can't be together." Kami answered, either not noticing or caring that it was Cosmos he was talking too "When you get to my age and see the things I have seen, you realise that sometimes there are people who are just right for each other, whose paths should cross and intertwine. If not for this marriage, Prince Gohan and Princess Sasami would be among those people. It's a cruel fate which has denied them that."

For once, Cosmos said nothing as he thought about what Kami had about two people being denied their love. He knew how familiar it was indeed and then looked towards Gohan. The odd mix of hopelessness and joy on the boy's face had been one he himself had shared many years ago and it resonated deep within Cosmos's soul. The thoughtful expression on Cosmos's face caught Dende's eye and he said "Something you want to share Cosmos?"

The General didn't reply at first, being too deep in thought. He did eventually mutter "No… no, just thinking on what might have been if things had gone another way."

"I wouldn't have thought you'd have cared that much about Prince Gohan." Kami said, his voice being quite sharp in this.

"This has nothing to do with the… him Kami." Cosmos snapped. He glared at the Namek and then turned on his heel, marching back towards his office.

"Wonder what has him so riled…" Kami muttered largely to himself.

"Isn't it obvious? He wasn't talking about Gohan, he was talking about himself." Dende replied.

Kami raised a brow at this, showing some surprise and scepticism at those words "Cosmos? I think you're looking far too much into what he said."

Dende chuckled "You know, for one whose wisdom has the ear of every Monarch and Senate in almost every Quadrant in the Galaxy, you can be surprisingly blind at times."

"And for one who has the confidence of the Namek High Council, you're surprisingly impudent." Kami retorted hotly, more than a little surprised at Dende's words.

Dende merely chuckled in reply, irritating Kami further "Cosmos is deeper than you think Kami; he is a man of great depths." Kami gave a small roll of his eyes at this. As far as he concerned, the only depths Cosmos had were ones of hatred. Overlooking his friend's scepticism, Dende said "Come one, we've seen all we can. Let's give the two some moments alone." Kami agreed and the two Nameks left the garden, leaving Gohan and Sasami completely alone as they raced for the skies and for just a short while, enjoying the little time they had.

XxX

Darkness was falling slowly across the landscape as the Sun sank below the horizon. On one balcony, Princess Serena stood, looking out over the Palace, thinking about how in two short weeks she'd be married to Gohan. Now while Gohan was truly a good friend and a sweet boy, she knew her heart belonged to another. Her meeting with Prince Darien was on the same day of the wedding and she wanted that more than anything. To meet with her love once more, it was everything she could ever hope for but at the same time… she knew that it would be hurting Gohan doing this, something she didn't want to do.

But she wanted Darien so much, just to hold him in her arms, just once, that it almost hurt. And she wanted that time to herself and Darien, with no Gohan or anyone else between them. She knew it was selfish but she promised to herself that she would tell Gohan after the wedding took place about her feelings for Darien. He was a good friend and deserved to know the truth, although she had grown rather wary of his relationship with Princess Sasami. The two had gotten on so well that Serena had begun to worry that the two would eventually find themselves in the same situation she found herself with Darien.

Although Serena had been sad to see Sasami go, she had also been slightly relieved. She knew that the Alliance between the Moon Kingdom and the Saiyan Empire depended solely upon the success of this marriage. If it were to fail, then the Alliance would be lost and everything would collapse. Gohan needed to be away from the temptation of Sasami if the Alliance were to succeed. Serena knew that this train of thought reflected badly on her and she wished otherwise, but the politics of the situation forced to do so. Serena had slowly come to appreciate her mother's position on why she made some of her decisions and formed her opinions. She didn't want to, but she really had no choice.

Serena looked up at Earth, her heart welling once again. Governed by the Council of Nations, an organisation of the various countries on the Planet, the black magic used by the Dark Kingdom has turned it away from its Alliance with the Moon Kingdom. Serena gave one heartfelt sigh before turning her back on it, preparing herself for sleep and the knowledge that in just two weeks time, she would marry a good friend while also meeting her true love, only one of which appealed to her.

XxX

Gohan walked slowly through the gardens once more, at a loss to do. His farewell with Sasami had been heartfelt and painful, neither wanting to say goodbye, promising to send letters as soon as possible. The heartache remained however and Gohan had returned to the gardens as darkness descended, hoping for some solace. It was difficult to come by however and in his depression remained, distracting him from all else as he slowly walked through the darkening garden.

Gohan was so distracted, he didn't notice the light until he was standing right beside it, blinking suddenly at the brightness, Gohan turned to his right and much to his surprise, was greeted by the sight of General Cosmos sitting in a small pavilion, sitting under a bright lantern and with a chess board in front of him with all the pieces neatly in order. Cosmos looked up from the board and nodded curtly at Gohan, motioning towards the board with his hand "Care for a game?" He asked.

Gohan looked at him curiously, unsure of how to take this turn of events. Eventually, he gave a mental shrug and sat down at the table, he had the black pieces to play with. Cosmos started first, moving a pawn across the board. Gohan moved his Knight in return and the game began. As he was taking his second move, Cosmos said "I see that you and Princess Sasami got on quite well. A shame she had to leave so soon."

Gohan found himself nodding at those words, his regret at seeing Sasami leave overriding his surprise. As soon as Cosmos set his piece on the board, Gohan moved his pawn to allow his Bishop to go free.

Cosmos played with his next move and words, finally speaking as he made his third move "I do believe that you two got on quite well. Quite surprising really. I know the Empress and she had quite… negative views when it came to your people."

Gohan didn't answer at first, making a move with his Bishop before answering "Unlike some people, Sasami was able to look beyond my heritage and liked me for who I am."

Knowing a slight when he saw one, Cosmos overlooked the words and instead moved his Knight, allowing that to go free "Although I take it, you had somewhat deeper feelings for the Princess than it would first appear."

Gohan suddenly averted his gaze, confirming what Cosmos thought. Rather than feel anger at the boy, Cosmos began to feel some empathy with him, much to his shock. Gohan's situation wasn't entirely different from the one he himself had faced all those years ago. Finally, Gohan mumbled out "Nothing to do with you." Before moving his Queen across the board.

Cosmos looked at Gohan properly for the first time, having all the time only glanced or looked over him. Cosmos actually found himself unable to see the hated idea of a Saiyan, a barbaric monster, and instead saw a young boy, hurt and confused by all that was happening around him. Ah he made another move; Cosmos said "At least your actions were honourable. You've kept loyal to Princes Serena."

Gohan suddenly looked up in shock "How did you know that?!"

"When flying through the Palace gardens, maybe you should remember that you can be seen, even in mid-air." Cosmos said with the slightest hint of amusement in his voice.

There was the slightest hint of a blush of embarrassment on Gohan as he leant over and made his next move "Checkmate." The boy said simply.

Cosmos frowned in confusion, believing the boy to be lying. Then he looked down and his jaw dropped, Gohan had placed him in an inescapable trap. Cosmos spent some time looking at the board before saying "B-but I haven't lost a game in over twenty years…"

"Well there's always time to start again I suppose." Gohan said with a bit of sarcasm in his voice, enjoying seeing Cosmos of balance so much "Although I've only ever read about this game before, this is the first time I've even played it."

Cosmos, feeling as if one leg had been kicked away, stared at Gohan as he felt the other blow land. Unable to make any reply to this, Cosmos simply found himself muttering "Beginner's luck then." Before standing up, he had met with Gohan and learned what he needed to know about the boy. Overcoming the surprise of his defeat, Cosmos spoke to Gohan clearly "Although I sincerely wish it were otherwise, you are to Princess Serena's husband. Maybe you can bring me to believing that you will be a decent one."

Realising that this was quite possibly the closest thing he'd ever get to an apology from Cosmos, Gohan nodded "I'll be that, you have my word on it."

For some reason he couldn't quite fathom, Cosmos found himself believing the young boy, although still unhappy about a Saiyan being in the Royal Family, he suddenly found himself being able to accept it a bit more easily. He marched off away into the garden, heading for his office and the work therein. Gohan watched him go, feeling his spirits ever so slightly higher. He actually felt some comfort in knowing that Cosmos had lightened up to him. Although it offered no real help to him, the fact he had one less thing to worry about.

Gohan gazed up at the stars, thinking about his marriage and what it would mean. His parents weren't going to be there, only the friends he'd made over his stay in the Moon Kingdom. In only a short time indeed, his destiny would be set in stone…

To be continued…

**Sorry for the short update on this but there wasn't much I wanted to do with it besides say goodbye to Sasami… for now anyway. The next chapter will be the Wedding and I'll hope you'll enjoy. And please, read and review!**


	20. Marriage

A Marriage of Convenience

Like the stars at night time, the jewels upon the wedding dress glittered brilliantly. Made of the purest white silk and covered with the greatest jewels in the Moon Kingdom, the traditional wedding dress of a Princess was beautiful to behold. Serena had to admit it as she stared in the mirror, dressed from head to toe in her outfit, absently touching the coronet on her head, wondering about the future. In just a few short hours, she would be married to Gohan, binding the Moon Kingdom and Saiyan Empire into a great Alliance.

It was that fact which chilled Serena most of all as she knew that she and her husband were little more than two links in a chain that bound two vast powers together. Serena looked to her future life with Gohan with nothing more than resignation, knowing there was little that could be done now. Serena allowed herself a small laugh as she realised that she would have to teach her husband what sex was in order to continue the Dynasty. Now that would be an interesting conversation…

A knock on the door to her bedroom jolted Serena from her thoughts as she shouted out for the person to enter, Serena looked into the mirror again, examining her wedding dress as close as ever but avoiding looking herself in they eye. As the door opened, Queen Serenity stepped in and closed the door behind her, having arrived to speak with Serena before the Wedding was to begin. It was to be largely a private affair; public opinion regarding the marriage had been apathetic, at best. One reason the wedding had been arranged to fall on the same date as the Festival of Masks was that it was hoped that the air of celebration would be greater than normal. The effects had proved to have been mixed at best.

Both mother and daughter stood in silence for some time looking at each other, neither able to think of what to say. Finally, Queen Serenity said "You look beautiful Serena. The dress it…" She stopped as she felt tears forming, not wanting to that she was crying in front of her daughter. Serena walked over to her mother and hugged her tightly, getting as much comfort from her as possible. After managing to steady her nerves, Serenity managed to say "I only wish your father was here to see you now…"

Serena smiled sadly, her father had passed on so long ago, she only gave brief thoughts about him. The few memories she had of him largely centred on a smiling face wearing traditional Moon Kingdom robes "Would he have liked Gohan?" She found herself asking.

Queen Serenity paused as she thought about her husband, remembering that as far as he was concerned, provided someone didn't get on his nerves and didn't think building that building model space craft out of toothpicks was a dumb hobby, he'd be happy to meet them. He had been trying to convince the Moon Kingdom's Government to drop their opposing views against the Saiyan Empire before a striking illness had claimed his life early. Now with this Alliance coming into play, Serenity couldn't help but wonder what her husband would have made of it all. Bringing herself back to reality, Serenity smiled slightly as she answered "He would have gotten on with him well. The two would have talked all night, especially since your father loved science and culture as much as Gohan does."

Serena nodded, thinking about that. Gohan was a special boy and he had managed to get through so much, he deserved so much more than what he was going through as did Serena. She had only wished things could be different, for both of them. Breaking the hug, both mother and daughter could only think of what might have been. Serenity finally gave a little sob and said "I-I'm so sorry it had to be like this Serena. You deserve s-so much better."

Serena quickly embraced her mother once more, giving her as much comfort as she could "It's alright mother," She said, her voice close to tears as well "We're both doing what we have to." She tried to lighten the mood somewhat "Besides, Gohan is a cute son-in-law…"

Queen Serenity managed a chuckle at that, acknowledging it as truth "I'll have some good grand kids…" She paused, remembering the conversation she had with Gohan some time ago and despite everything, actually burst out laughing. Serena looked at her mother in a puzzled fashion before she remembered about the one area in which Gohan's otherwise incredible expanse of knowledge fell very much short. Before long, Serena followed her mother in laughing away at the sheer ridiculousness of the scenario.

The two spent several moments in peals of laughter before finally calming down although still having smiles on their faces. They both couldn't help but giggle a little at what was going through their minds despite the circumstances. There was a hint of sadness as they knew it wouldn't be long before they would have to confront the inevitable. Serena placed her hand in Serenity's and squeezed gently "Mother, I just want to thank you… for everything."

Queen Serenity returned the squeeze and smiled "I only wish it could have been so much more for you…" Serenity embraced her daughter tightly, not wanting to let go "You and Gohan deserve it."

Serena could only agree "We'll make the best of it mother… we have to."

For some time, nothing was said until they broke off the hug where Serenity said "I know you'll bear this well Serena. You'll make a fine Queen one day."

Serena nodded, a little sadly "I just hope that day isn't too soon…"

"I'll be around for a long time, don't worry about that." Queen Serenity said, smiling "Since you're ready, let's make our way down to where everyone's waiting for us. We need to get their on time after all.

Serena nodded and the two began to walk towards the door and then onto the entrance to the Palace where a carriage was waiting to take them to the city and for Serena to be wed.

XxX

"And so, do you, Gohan Yori Ox, Prince of the Ox Kingdom hereby swear to stand by her Highness Princess Serena Lunos in steadfastness and loyalty, remaining beside her as her husband and Royal Consort, standing beside her until your dying day?"

"I do."

"And do you Princess Serena Lunos of the Moon Kingdom swear that you will be as loyal towards your husband as you will be your Kingdom? To stand by and remain resolute with until death parts you?"

"I-I do."

The Minister nodded at Serena's answer before spreading his arms wide in a traditional gesture to encompass both Serena and Gohan "Then in the eyes of the Moon and all those before you, I hereby proclaim you husband and wife until your days end."

There was a collective sigh in the small room. The crowd of the Queen, the Ministers of the Moon Kingdom, various Ambassadors (Including Dende and Kami), the Princesses of the Planets and Piccolo (Being the odd one out) all managed to smile as the ceremony was complete and Gohan and Serena were now officially married.

The Minister now closed his hands as he finished the ceremony "And now, you two shall go forth to the populous and announce your union to the Moon Kingdom!"

The room the Wedding ceremony had taken place was relatively small, found in the main hall of the city of Lunos, the seat of administration in the city. While traditionally the marriages of Royalty would be held in the cathedral in the centre of the city, public opinion had been so against the marriage itself, a much smaller room where good decorum and security could be secured. For that purpose, a semi-large room, large enough to house the ceremony and its guests which also had a balcony, it being on the sixth floor of the hall. The balcony led out onto the Market Square of Lunos where a multitude awaited, brought out more by curiosity as opposed to any joy regarding the union.

At the words of the Minister, Gohan and Serena turned and walked towards the balcony, having been told what to do and rehearsed it thoroughly beforehand. Queen Serenity accompanied them as the balcony doors opened and they stepped out into the midday air where the throng looked up to them. Several had brought flags with the Royal Crest of the Moon Kingdom emblazoned upon them. Upon seeing the Princess, the Queen and Gohan, cheering began, albeit hesitantly before it became widespread amongst the crowd although the enthusiasm was lacking. Despite their reservations regarding the marriage itself, the people of the Moon Kingdom were Royalists to their core, willing to support their Royalty no matter what.

As Serena looked out over the Square and the crowd, her breath caught in her throat as the last few minutes caught up with her, she was now married, officially and until the end of her life. The magnitude of it made her freeze and she could only say "I'm… married…"

She felt her hand suddenly have something placed in it and squeezed reassuringly. Serena looked to her side and saw Gohan give her an encouraging smile "Yeah," He said, taking Serena's words in completely the wrong way "We're married alright."

Serena forced herself to smile and look out onto the crowd, only able to echo Gohan's words "Y-Yes, we're married alright…"

XxX

The Festival of Masks was, all in all, one of the more strange social events of the Moon Kingdom, following just a few weeks behind the major celebration of the Midsummer Festival and really having no reason behind it other than people having fun. It was believed that the festival had begun when a young Prince had sneaked from the Palace to a region in Lunos where there was a fancy dress party going on. He had been wearing a luxurious mask at the time and his identity had been discovered at the party. To honour their Royal guest, the first anniversary of the party had all the guests from the party come back wearing their own masks. The Prince heard about this and soon the day progressed from a party into an actual festival, enjoyed by everyone.

One other tradition carried on from the origins of the Festival of Masks was the involvement of the Monarchy. The Royal Family typically dressed up in masks and mingled with the population, without them knowing who they were. It was fun, allowed everyone to let their hair down and allowed the Monarchs to get an idea of how the people thought they were ruling. For now, the entire Royal household was filled with people wearing masks… apart from one. Serena was in her bedroom, waiting for Cosmos to arrive. The General had told her earlier that Prince Darien had arrived on the Moon and was waiting somewhere within the Palace for her. All she had to do was make her excuses not to go out to the festival and then she'd be free to meet him.

The sudden knock on Serena's door brought her back to the present and she rushed towards it, still thinking it was Cosmos. She was more than a little vexed then, when she opened it and her friend Ami was seen, holding a dark blue mask in her hands. She was wearing a rather casual dress, for a Princess and had a look of concern on her face "Serena, what's wrong? We've been waiting for you for a while now and…"

"I don't feel very well." Serena said, the lie she had been preparing coming off natural from her tongue "I think some of the faiter we had after the wedding didn't settle all that well with me. Tell the others that I'm sorry but I just can't go with them tonight. I'll see them tomorrow though."

Ami looked at Serena, actually quite worried now. For Serena to miss a festival like this, the problem had to be serious "Do you want me to get a doctor Serena? We can wait if you…"

"No!" Serena's reply was a lot sharper than she'd wanted. She forced herself to calm down and smile a little "You guys just go have fun, I'll see you tomorrow, OK?"

Ami paused; a little conflicted regarding leaving her friend while she was ill. Nevertheless, she nodded, agreeing to Serena's wishes "Alright then, get well soon."

Serena shut the door and breathed out a sigh of relief. She had seen to that problem and now all she had to do was wait for Cosmos to escort her to her meeting place with Darien. The passage of time would be long for Serena, but she would be more than happy to bear it if seeing Darien was the ultimate result…

XxX

Gohan felt strange, in all his life, he'd never worn mask, and certainly not one which his face so much. From his nose right up to his forehead, his face was covered by a bright red mask, covered with glitter that sparkled in the evening light and bright blue feather sticking out of the top, hiding his hair a little. He shifted the mask slightly, not liking the way it was rubbing against his skin. It did disguise him though, an outfit which was completed by a white, finely decorated, robe which obscured his tail easily. The only defining feature left was his hair which still jutted out over the mask, sticking out noticeably.

Gohan was travelling with the Princesses, once again scanning through the city of Lunos as the people celebrated the marriage of the Princess. Although it wasn't hard to notice that the celebrations here were a lot more muted than they were during the Midsummer's Festival. The enthusiasm for celebrating, even with the masks, was considerably muted amongst people. The decorations were out, the food was prepared and everyone was outside, but the atmosphere of a true celebration was completely missing. As Gohan and the Princesses walked though the city, the strange lack of any jubilation was slowly getting through to them.

"You'd have thought it was a funeral rather than a wedding…" Rei muttered darkly as she looked around at the people in the streets, none of them having much more than a smile on their faces "What's eating at them?"

"Maybe if we go into a restaurant, we'll find out something there." Ami suggested, feeling somewhat disturbed about how people seemed so down. The group of Ami, Rei, Lita, Mina and walked into what was a small café, which was bustling with people. It was only after that they walked in however, that the place may have been full of people, but it wasn't in the party mood. It was the opposite in fact…

"… Disgrace us being supposed to celebrate for this!" A voice called out. There were thirty people of varying ages in the café, all grim looking through the masks, listening to one man at the counter, speaking passionately.

Ami felt a chill run down her spine, prejudices against Saiyans were not just limited to the upper classes, she knew that much. She twisted around to the others and said "I think we'd better lea…" She was interrupted by the man calling out again and Ami felt herself inwardly flinch, now knowing how Gohan would react to his words but pretty sure he wouldn't take to them kindly…

"A Saiyan! A damned Saiyan! The Princess could have married a thief, a murderer or even a member of the Dark Kingdom itself, but no, they really had to scrape the bottom of the barrel didn't they?" The man shuffled his body, really getting into the flow of things now. His large body leaned with on hand on the counter while the other made gestures emphasising his points of rage and hatred "What's happened to the Moon Kingdom? Are things really that bad that we have to marry off one of our Royal Family to a damned barbarian?"

The people around the café nodded and muttered agreement "And the fact that he has a proper Human name only adds insult to this!" One voice called out "What's the matter with having one of their own names with him? Are the Saiyans trying to ape their betters now?"

"You know what I heard?" Another voice from beside Rei called out "That the Saiyan's parents weren't even there for the wedding! If his own parents don't even bother to care about him, why should we?" It took every piece of self control Rei had not to strike at the person who owned that voice. She was now deeply wishing that she hadn't been one of those to insist that the Princess's were to go by themselves with Gohan, the Queen having gone to another part of the city.

"They might have been busy." Gohan called out, his voice clearly showing how close he was to losing all of his patience. Ami tried to tug at his sleeve to get him out of the café but Gohan only shrugged it off, the last voice having struck at a very sensitive nerve for him.

All eyes then turned onto the small group, none were kind. The fat man at the counter preened himself by saying "What are you then, some kind of monkey-lover?" He demanded, making reference to that tails of the Saiyans "The fact of the matter is that the Moon Kingdom was insulted when they didn't turn up to a wedding where our Princess was being given away to their own son. If they don't even bother to show any sort of respect then, how can we know that their son will do the same? Barbarians are his people and so is he as far as I'm concerned."

Gohan dug his fingers into his palms, trying to stop himself from lashing out as the crowd gave a smattering of applause at the man's words, showing their agreement with what he had said. The fact that he was so ready to distort what was really happening with his parents, that his father was fighting in the War and his mother was awaiting her second child, was so insulting to Gohan, that he began to lift up his hand, ready to rip off his mask and reveal who he was to these people. He was interrupted however, by another voice, one that sounded very familiar…

"He's right! What do those Saiyans think they're doing, trying to be as good as us? They should stay in the Western Quadrant, with the rest of the barbarians." Gohan and the Princesses turned, only to see none other than Orion, sitting in the corner. The boy looked the same, his blond hair and boyish features were there, having taken off his mask and dangling it in his hand, his face being marred by his expression of savage smugness on his face as he continued "Everyone knows that the Saiyans are a bunch of savage traitors. I say we should send that one Saiyan packing and let them alone, they shouldn't be with a proper civilisation."

Gohan looked at Orion for a moment, anger, outrage and betrayal all crossing across his face although the mask obscured it. Unable to make a reply without the fear of losing control of his temper, Gohan turned on his heel and stamped out of the café, leaving the Princesses to follow after him, Rei giving Orion a glare through her own mask before leaving, leaving Orion thinking that the group looked awfully familiar through their masks…

Gohan stalked out onto the street, barely managing to keep himself from going back and tearing the café to pieces. As he reached the other side of the street, he barely managed to notice as someone put a hand on his shoulder until he heard Ami say "Gohan, are you alright?" The boy turned to see his friends looking concerned for him.

Taking a deep breath, Gohan shook his head "I-I'm not. I'm going to have to go back to the Palace. I-I can't stay here, not now…" Gohan sighed sadly as he glanced back over to the café "I never even knew he felt that way about Saiyans…"

"Well the marriage was brought about old hatred. And he was probably just repeating what he heard…" Ami said before being cut off with a glare from Rei, Gohan did not need to hear about that now. Ami decided to make some amends "You want us to go with you Gohan?"

Gohan shook his head fiercely "N-No, I need to be by myself now. I'll see you later, tomorrow probably. Just let me have some time to myself…" He walked off from the group, heading towards the Palace, leaving the others on the street.

"Should we go after him?" Mina asked, really worried about the boy walking off.

"He said he wanted to be left alone…" Lita said worryingly "I think if we go back to him now, he'd only get worse."

They all looked on as Gohan walked off before he was swallowed up by the crowd. After several moments of silence, Rei looked back over to the café "I can't believe that Orion would say something like that. He seemed so nice when we met him at Midsummer."

"But he didn't know Gohan was a Saiyan though." Ami said sadly "Didn't you hear the rumours from the people last time we were here? Some even wanted to request that the marriage wouldn't go through. And that was really the more polite ones…"

The others stopped and thought about this. They too had had their share of prejudices against Saiyans before they met Gohan, those ones coming from what they had heard from their families and friends. For five centuries, the Saiyans had been removed from the Central Quadrant completely, their betrayal of the Moon Kingdom and its allies being their most famous deed. Since then, every crime possible had been attributed to them; they were the very byword for evil in most sections of the Central Quadrant. The fact that the Moon Kingdom, the main instigator of those prejudices had suddenly u-turned was a major shock, many people resenting the seeming betrayal.

The Princesses paused, not knowing what to do or say, knowing that what just happened would have hurt Gohan deeply, being very sensitive regarding his parents. Rei looked over to the direction of the Palace, where Gohan was heading _"Take care Gohan,"_ She thought _"We'll be here for you…"_

XxX

The darkness of night had descended over the gardens of the Royal Palace, the only light coming from a single lamp hung in a lone pagoda. In the pagoda, Prince Darien sat and waited impatiently. At sixteen, he actually came close to wielding an incredible amount of power, his Kingdom being one of the most powerful on Earth. Although he was actually disqualified because of his youth from doing so, not being able to become King until his eighteenth birthday where he'd then take the reigns of power from his Ministers. Until then however, he'd have to bide his time and only have minor power, which was why he'd been unable to see Serena. The many nations and Kingdoms of Earth had turned against the Moon with dark magic as the main suspect, although Darien himself was unaffected because of his love for Serena.

Darien looked over the garden, hoping to see Serena who was being guided by General Cosmos towards their meeting point. For the last few months, the two had been communicating sporadically through letters as they had longed to see each other once more. Darien had been overjoyed when an agent belonging to Cosmos had approached him, offering a way to communicate with Serena and he had leapt at the opportunity to do so. Each letter he had received had breathed life into him as his loved one told him all about what had been happening. The one thing which had surprised him was how Serena talked about her husband to be, not speaking of him as an enemy, but a dear friend. And from what Serena had told him, Gohan had been just that…

A sound made Darien look up and he looked up, seeing Serena walking down the path. General Cosmos was walking away, evidently having led Serena to Darien; he decided to give the two their privacy. As soon as Serena made Darien out clearly, she began running towards him, her pace increasing as she got closer to the pagoda. Darien rushed out of it to meet her and the two met on the gravel road, embracing each other, their arms meeting and holding each other close. For several minutes, neither said a word as the joy of being together just overcame them. Eventually, Darien lifted himself away from Serena, smiling at her "Hey ping-pong head," He said playfully, remembering Serena's nickname "How've you been?"

Serena smiled, letting the annoying nickname go this time, seeing it as endearing when it came from Darien "Since I've heard from you, much better…" She sighed and placed her head on his chest, listening to his heart thumping even harder as she did so "I've missed you so much…" She sighed "I just want to be with you now…"

"You've got it." Darien said as he took her hand and led her up to the seats of the pagoda, the two sitting down together with Serena cuddling up to Darien as they began to talk, the events of the last few months since they last saw each other. The two barely noticed how the time passed as the words flowed, nor did they realise that eyes were upon them…

For, hidden in the shadows, Piccolo stood, watching and outraged. Although he knew little of love itself, he could see the relationship between Darien (Whose name he did not know) and Serena far exceeded that of friendship. Piccolo had refused to go to the Festival, using the time to train privately when he had suddenly felt the presence of an unfamiliar person. Having gotten used to the feelings of the energy of everyone in the Palace, the presence of a new person, especially tonight, was quite curious to say the least. Piccolo had followed it to the gardens where he watched as Serena and Darien had their reunion.

Not knowing the truth behind the two, Piccolo felt the rage build up inside him as he saw them embrace and then sit together in the pagoda, knowing what a base betrayal of Gohan this was. Gohan had stayed loyal to Serena, Piccolo knew of his feelings towards Sasami and yet the boy had acted honourably throughout, sacrificing his happiness for the marriage to work. And now for it to be thrown away to someone Piccolo had never seen? It was only the fact that nothing good would come of it was the only reason why Piccolo didn't burst out between the two was that he wasn't sure if he could contain his anger and would probably wind up hurting Serena, something he wanted to avoid for Gohan's sake.

For nearly an hour, Piccolo watched as Serena and Darien talked and got closer, his seething rage bubbling just underneath. Eventually Piccolo was able to control his temper enough to actually move from his place, taking a closer look so he knew just what Serena was doing. He knew that if he burst out, he would cause a scene and he'd noticed Cosmos had been hanging around at the opposite of the garden (Namek ears proving that they just weren't for show once more). If Cosmos was somehow involved, then Piccolo was worried that if he confronted Serena while he was around, it would involve a fight which Gohan would find out about. And if Gohan knew about this, it could very well break him.

Watching from the shadows, Piccolo looked out, vowing to see to it that Serena would stop this, for her sake as much as Gohan's.

While Piccolo left, the conversation between Darien and Serena had wound down, the two now simply sat together, her in Darien's arms, knowing that their time together was running short "What are we going to do?" Serena asked eventually "I don't think I can just keep doing this, I want us to be together…"

Darien nodded, hugging Serena tighter towards him "I know but what can we do? I've been trying to bring the other leaders of Earth around to restarting the Alliance with the Moon Kingdom but whatever's turned them has had its effect. If it's true about Dark Magic being behind all this, then it's a powerful magician indeed. I just wish there was some way to overcome the magic…"

Serena nodded slowly, knowing that unless the magic was removed, the hostilities between Earth and the Moon Kingdom would continue. She had waned nothing more than to be with Darien, but even that was impossible with the War against the Dark Kingdom. Serena was pulled from her thoughts as Darien said "And to make it worse, you have to marry a…" A glare from Serena stopped the word that was coming from Darien's mouth and he quickly replaced it with "Child."

Serena's expression softened a little as she defended Gohan "He's not just a child. Gohan's one of the sweetest, kind…"

"Naïve…" Darien continued, grinning "Seriously Serena, like you told me. He believes children come from things called 'Baby Sprites'! What sort of husband can he be? More like a small child if you ask me."

Serena tried to scold Darien but found herself giggling at his words "Yeah… I suppose it is silly that he actually believes that. But he's just a kid, what do you expect?"

Before Darien could reply, a cough from the side distracted them. General Cosmos had reappeared, looking surprisingly embarrassed at interrupting the two "I'm sorry to put an end to this but the Queen and her retinue shall be returning soon. Prince Darien needs to leave now in order to reach Earth before he is discovered."

Serena felt her heart break at those words, knowing that her time with Darien was now at an end for the foreseeable future. She looked towards Darien and saw the same heart ache in his eyes as there was in hers. With a rending feeling in his heart, Prince Darien stood up and began to walk out of the pagoda, stopping and then turning back to face Serena "I can give you a wedding present before I go…" He said and walked towards Serena. He leaned down, tilted her head up and brought his lips close to hers, going for a kiss.

Serena flushed, realising that Darien wanted a kiss. As he came in closer, several thoughts flashed through her mind, from the thrill of her first kiss to the realisation that this would just complete her betrayal of Gohan. Suddenly, an unpleasant voice right at the back of Serena's head seemed to scream out _"Forget Gohan! This is all for you…" _And that sealed it, Serena lent in and let her lips touch Darien's…

XxX

"Yes! Yes!" Babidi cried out in viscous triumph as his spell worked and the person came under his complete control, their negative emotions sealing their fate "You're mine now…"

XxX

… And after some time, they broke away, regretfully. The kiss had been soft, fleeting and the best sensation Serena had ever felt. She'd never known what it had been liked to be kissed before (Although she had thought about more than once), she had to admit what she and Darien had done exceeded all her expectations. Smiling coyly, she whispered loud enough for him to hear "Best present ever…"

"For both of us." Darien said before suddenly shooting his head up, as if he had heard something "What was that?" He said out loud.

General Cosmos, having also heard the noise (A rustling from the bushes), rushed out to look to see what had caused it. There had been no wind, so what had happened? After a tense minute of searching, Cosmos returned, shaking his head "Must have been a bird or animal of some kind." He gave as a response, although he sounded unconvinced.

Serena suddenly shuddered horribly, feeling incredibly uneasy. For some reason, she felt something wrong in the gardens, something malevolent, something wrong and something evil. The feeling refused to go, even as she said farewell to Darien, both vowing to meet again someday. As she watched Darien leave with Cosmos, Serena came to the conclusion that it was her conscience acting up, the kiss making her realise that she needed to speak to Gohan about her relationship with Darien. When Darien passed from view with one last lingering look, Serena started to walk back to the Palace bedroom quarters, hoping that Gohan was still awake.

As she walked through the corridors leading to Gohan's room, Serena could hear every last echo her feet made on the floor. When she finally reached Gohan's room, only silence reigned, the knocks on Gohan's door resounding right through the place. With no answer, Serena went to open the door, it being unlocked and she walked through into the bedroom. She stopped as she saw Gohan, tucked under the covers, facing away from her, his breathing heavily "Gohan?" She whispered, only to receive no answer at all expect Gohan's laboured and it seemed as if there was something else about it…

Serena thought about whether or not to step into the room properly and really see if he was awake. She decided against it though, not wanting to wake him if he was asleep. She silently closed the door and started to head off towards her bedroom. She never realised that if she had waited for a bit longer and gone further into the room, she would have found out that not only was Gohan wide awake, but his pillow was soaked with tears. There would be no comfort for the boy tonight and indeed, not for a long time to come.

To be continued…

**Gah! An entire month? Man I need to start getting my rear into gear… Anyway, despite the tardiness, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and liked a few of the points done. This is all really setting it up for the major plot point of the story and its greatest tragedy. Anyway, sorry once again for the late update and please, read and review!**


	21. Betrayal

A Marriage of Convenience

The bright morning light flittered across the Palace walls, banishing shadows where they lay. While many were sleeping as the Sun rose, several were still awake and busy at work. These were the guards and the soldiers, determined to protect the Moon Kingdom come what may. Among the most determined was, of course, General Cosmos, who always started his day early, just after dawn, was already heading towards his office in the Palace, determined to get things sorted. The War against the Dark Kingdom progressed regardless of the marriage, already two days in the past and concentration on the War was resumed as normal.

Cosmos arrived at his office, confident of the day's work. He was sure that the build up of forces along the Southern Quadrant would be enough to weaken the Dark Kingdom substantially in the Systems bordering the Central Quadrant. All that was needed was time to build up the resources needed for the attack. Which Cosmos was fairly confident he could secure. As he entered his office though, Cosmos found his confidence ebbing as a sense that something was very wrong struck him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but Cosmos found himself sure that something was deeply wrong. Instincts honed by years of fighting in Wars were screaming that he should be on high alert.

Cosmos peered around his office, trying to see if there was anything that he could see that was out of place. Nothing really struck him just by looking and he quickly started to rummage through his office, desperate to know what had thrown his instincts into such an alert. He scoured each inch of the office before finally arriving at his desk where one of his most rudimentary security measures had been tripped. While certain sections of the Palace were guarded by magic or technology, Cosmos added to this in his office by going with some measures which were simple, even primitive in comparison. Cosmos had, at some expense, secured a roll of Jurai silk, the finest in the Galaxy and every time he left his office, cut a thread from it and placed it across the drawers of his desk. The thread was so fine as to be almost impossible to see unless you knew it was there and you were looking directly for it. As a result, the unwary would snap the silk and Cosmos would know that his office had been tampered with.

The silken thread which Cosmos used to offer some sort of awareness regarding whether or not his office had been broken into was snapped. Cosmos breathed deeply, feeling that he had been sadly vindicated over his precautions. He pulled the thread up, measured the bottom half and found the drawer which had been pulled out. Realising what information was in that drawer, Cosmos unlocked it and opened the drawer, noticing that the files within were of pristine condition, exactly like he left them. If not for the thread, he would never have guessed that his office had been invaded.

Cosmos instantly stood up and started to race out of his office and towards the tactical command that was within the Palace, hoping that he wouldn't be too late. He arrived at his destination, breathless from his sprinting and yanked open the door, the guards hastily lowering their weapons as they recognised him. Seeing the soldiers at the screen which showed the World of Metaria and all the data gained from it. He strode over to it, despite the odd glances from the soldiers and barked the order "Change its position, now!"

The soldiers didn't even hesitate, knowing that when Cosmos gave an order, it was obeyed. A soldier inputted the commands and the satellite shifted its position, travelling over to another location. Silence reigned over the room as nothing happened before Cosmos gave another order "Launch the decoy!" The soldier at the console nodded and inputted the command, sending out a decoy satellite from the real satellite which went to the previous location. This turned out to be excellent timing as almost immediately after the decoy reached its place, sensors from the satellite started to spike as they started to read huge magical energies gathering at a single spot on the planet.

It only took a moment before a huge magical energy burst came from the planet and struck the decoy, disintegrating it completely before it finally vanished as the magic wore itself out. The sight on the camera of the satellite left everyone speechless, amazed as they realised that the Dark Kingdom had discovered the location of the satellite which had been top secret. The same thought ran through the minds of everyone in the room before Cosmos said it out loud "Someone, wake up the Queen and tell her… tell her we have a traitor in our midst."

XxX

The news of the treachery against the Moon Kingdom travelled fast, gossip spreading far and wide as even more bad news was eventually added. It came as Serena was at Gohan's bedroom door, hoping that he would answer her knocking. She hadn't seen him since the wedding, his reason being that he'd had a Saiyan illness, akin to the Human flu, hit him. Serena had found out about what had happened at the café the night of the wedding and easily deduced the true reason behind him hiding away. Her knocking was consistent and even though Gohan hadn't answered the door yet, she continued to do so, getting quite worried.

Eventually though, the door slowly opened and through the crack, Serena could see Gohan's face appear through the space between the door and its frame. He looked tired and more than a little mournful which Serena wasn't surprised about that all things considered. She gave a bright smile, hoping to get him in a better mood "Hello there Gohan! Are you feeling any better?"

It took a moment for this to register before Gohan finally nodded "Yeah… a bit better. How're you… wife?" There was the faintest hint of amusement in Gohan's voice, showing a spark of his usual self.

Serena inwardly shuddered at the word, remembering her meeting with Darien and still wanting to be his wife… Shaking that off, she smiled again and asked "May I come in, husband?" Returning Gohan's amused tone with one of her own but her heart wasn't in it. Seemingly not noticing Serena's lack of enthusiasm, Gohan let her into his room, looking pleased that she was doing so.

Serena looked around and noted the now familiar surroundings of the huge pile of books organised alongside one wall with an old desk with various handwritten notes on it. It suddenly brought a thought to Serena's mind "I never returned that book to you did I?" She asked.

Gohan have a small smile "Keep it; I've got all I need to know about the Saiyan Empire in my memory. You enjoy it." He walked over to his desk and tidied up his notes, organising them into neat little stacks as he asked "So have you been alright since I last saw you? Recovered from your stomach upset?"

There was the slightest hint of something in Gohan's voice that made Serena realise he wasn't as fine as he was making himself out to be. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, noticing that he'd stopped in his actions as she said "Gohan, if you want to talk about what happened that night, then just do so. I'm your friend, I want to help."

After a moment's pause, Gohan slowly turned around and faced Serena; his eyes seemed to gleam a little at that point, as if on the hint of something "Serena… I…" Whatever Gohan was about to say, it would go unknown as a thunderous knocking started on his door.

"Gohan!" Piccolo's voice called out through the door "There's no time for you to lay there ill! Something's happened!" Gohan rushed to the door and opened it, letting Piccolo march in, looking highly irate. He looked at Gohan and positively glared at Serena before saying "There's been another attack against the Moon Kingdom."

"How many escaped?" Came a reply.

Piccolo went to answer but paused "What?"

"From the attack? How many escaped?"

Piccolo gave a typical gruff answer "Far as I know, not many." He gave a straight look at Gohan with his next words "That's why you're going back to training now. We need to be ready in case of any form of attack hits us." The reasoning was good enough for Gohan as he gave a nod of assent, knowing that he'd have to train a lot to be as strong as was needed, even though he had made great leaps so far. As he moved towards the door, thinking of heading over to the usual training spot he and Piccolo used, Piccolo said "You go ahead Gohan; I'll just speak to Serena about something."

Gohan looked confused but nodded his assent while Piccolo waited until his footsteps faded away before turning on Serena. The Princess had never seen such cold, hard anger imprinted on another person's face and she felt true, honest fear as Piccolo stepped close to her and heard his words "I saw what you got up to with that boy the night of the wedding." The Namek growled his voice a steady tone of anger "And I'm telling you now, stop it this instant or you'll answer to me."

Serena's heart dropped as she heard Piccolo say that he had seen her with Darien as well as his threat. She stood her ground though, looking Piccolo straight in the eye as she gave her answer "That 'boy' was Prince Darien of Earth, someone who I deeply love and cherish. I am friends with Gohan but my heart belongs to him. If you're demanding me to stop thinking about him or wanting to see him again then you're wasting your time."

The two matched stares for a while, neither giving ground in their private battle. After some time, Piccolo said "If Gohan ever finds out about this, it'll crush him. He's treated this marriage a lot more serious than you. If this ends with Gohan hurt then you should know this. _You will answer to me_." This was not an idle threat, for Piccolo never made idle threats. Nor was it a promise, for Piccolo seldom made them. This was a simple statement of fact, a reiteration of what would happen should Gohan ever be hurt by Serena's actions.

Although Serena found herself struck to the core by Piccolo's words, she merely gave a regal nod, as if dismissing him before turning and walking towards the door, trying to leave with as much dignity as she could muster. As Serena left the bedroom and started to walk down the corridor, she heard the words of General Cosmos come back to haunt, his warning regarding telling Gohan about her relationship with Prince Darien becoming all too clear. She knew that he had to be told, and soon…

XxX

The public gardens of the Palace were usually empty at the time of early evening. Gohan's arrival had changed all this to an extent, it becoming one of the favourite places for him and the Princesses to meet. For now though, only one figure was present, sitting in a pagoda, his thoughts on failure was General Cosmos. He sat without his usual dignified stance, slouching back in the chair, caring little for anything else but what he was thinking. His thoughts were focused on the recent attack on a Moon Kingdom convoy that was carrying vital supplies to the forces building up along the border with the Dark Kingdom. The convoy had been attacked and if not for the shields holding up, the casualties could have been worse than they were. Almost half the ships were wiped out with the others taking heavy damage. And it was all because he had been so relived that he'd saved the satellite that he hadn't even thought that the traitor had looked through his other files…

Reports had also come in of an attack on a Saiyan convoy which had been sent to supply Saiyan outposts. That had been detailed in the files in Cosmos's desk and he knew that the Saiyans would hold him personally responsible for it. Cosmos allowed himself a bitter snort of laughter, being berated by the Saiyans would just be perfect as far as he could see, end the day brilliantly. Cosmos considered himself lucky however, the files had also contained details of a Jurai convoy that had been transporting other supplies to aid the Moon Kingdom's build up. Cosmos believed that it had been because the Dark Kingdom had only a few resources to strike with without risking overstretching themselves.

Looking out over the garden, Cosmos continued to berate himself, feeling furious that he'd overlooked such an important detail. He'd requested a committee to look into his actions and see if any discipline was required. The Queen had instantly cancelled this idea, saying that there hadn't been enough time to get the message through to the convoys and that the satellite had been the main priority. Cosmos felt differently however, his office had been compromised despite the many security arrangements and he had failed to realise just how much information had gotten through to the enemy. Feeling like a failure, Cosmos had travelled aimlessly to the gardens, wondering what to do as the Sun set and darkness started to fall.

"What? No chess board this time?" A rather cheery voice called out from the side. Cosmos turned around and saw Gohan approaching, looking somewhat worse for wear in dirty clothes and a slightly marked face where it looked as if he'd been struck a few times. Cosmos knew full well about the training sessions between Gohan and the Namek Piccolo, it seemed as if one had just taken place with Gohan having come off with a few blows and scrapes. Cosmos watched as the boy walked up to him, feeling know real emotion other than despondence that one of those who would mock him for his error was standing right in front of him.

"Come here to get revenge have you?" Cosmos asked morosely "Have a few barbs ready to taunt me with I expect."

Gohan looked surprised at those words "Why would I do that? It wasn't your fault what happened."

Cosmos shook his head "I'm responsible for the Army under Her Majesty, if I make such a blunder, how can I face the Queen or the soldiers under my command if I allow such a thing to happen?"

There was a silence following those words as Gohan looked at Cosmos, seeing him for the first time as vulnerable, tired and alone. Feeling actual empathy for him, Gohan said "Once, during the start of the War against the Freezing Empire, there was a Saiyan General who led his troops on a campaign. He made one mistake and because of that, half of his forces had been wiped out. The General despaired, not knowing what to do; he tried to think of something, anything to redeem his fault."

"And what did he eventually think of?" Cosmos asked, curiosity overcoming everything else within him.

A smile appeared on Gohan's face "He put on his armour, faced the enemy and fought, and continued to fight until he had overcome them with his strength. He never gave up, despite his mistake and because of it; the Saiyan Empire won its first major victory in the War and strived towards more." Gohan continued to smile "The General was my father, he's never given up hope in the War and thanks to him the Saiyan Empire's winning it. Why can't you be the same?"

For a long while, Cosmos said nothing but on his face, had a look of deep thought. When he next spoke, his words were slow and deliberate, with thought put into each one "Before I met you, I thought all Saiyans to be brutish savages, the worst of the Races in the Galaxy. All my life, I was led to believe and led other to believe that you were traitors, barbarians not worth a moment of my time." He looked towards Gohan, his face showing sincerity as he finished "It would seem I owe you a debt of gratitude for proving me wrong."

Gohan looked at the General, seeing the age upon on his features and realising that he had some profound effect upon the man he hadn't realised before. The boy smiled and said "Well, that's a first." And he gave off an almighty yawn, blushing slightly as he finished "I guess that means I'm more tired than I thought. I'm going to bed Mr. Cosmos, I'll see you around." With that, he started to walk off, towards his rooms and for rest.

Cosmos watched the boy as he went, feeling… different. He had kept a close eye on him ever since he found out about his relationship with Princess Sasami and had actually begun to see beyond his prejudices, realising that there was truly more than met the eye with the boy. Shaking off these pleasant thoughts, Cosmos stood up, remembering he had work to do. The only people who could have got into his office without setting off the alarms must have lived in the Palace; they were created that way for the convenience of not setting off whenever servants went into the room. That meat that the traitor had to be within the Palace and Cosmos had an idea on how to flush whoever it was out…

He had a plan, one that was slightly risky and highly regretful. He had his suspicion regarding who the traitor was and that he believed that he had taken a part in making them that way. Cosmos knew that the Dark Kingdom had the great magician Babidi in its employ, who could twist a person's loyalty around with enough negative emotions, including selfishness. Cosmos was loath to admit it, but he honestly suspected Princess Serena of being under the control of the magician, she knew the layout of his office like no other from her trips there and in her fear of exposing her love, had yet to tell Gohan of her and Prince Darien. The kiss she had shared with Prince Darien may have secured her fate as her need to be with him had overrode all other emotions.

Cosmos straightened himself out and started to walk towards his office, his plan forming in his mind. It would be simple, yet effective and would lead to breaking the Queen's heart. But it had to be done, not just for the Kingdom, but for Serena herself…

To be continued…

**I really need to start uploading more… Not much to say about this chapter apart from that I hope you read and review!**


	22. A Traitor Revealed And Punished

A Marriage of Convenience

Despite the events of the marriage, the defence of the Moon Kingdom still came before all else. The Princesses still had to learn to use their skills in magic regardless of what else had been going on. Training had been hard, beyond a shadow of a doubt with their power growing with each session. Serena herself had become slowly began to master her abilities, her power growing with each passing day as her magical mastery grew. Her strength in magic was now so great, it promised to even overcome her mother's own.

For now however, after a long, gruelling session or training, that thought was out of her mind and all Serena looked forward to was a nice, long bath and a small meal of some kind. She and the other Princesses were currently heading back to their rooms, thinking of nothing more than relaxing. They were just in the process of heading off and going their separate ways when Gohan appeared, running down the corridor, almost skipping with delight. His eyes gleamed as he saw the Princesses, as if bursting to tell them something which, he actually was.

After Gohan got close enough, Serena couldn't help but ask "Alright, what's gotten you so cheerful? A brand new set of books arrived for you?"

Gohan shook his head, a smile lighting up his face "Nothing like that! I just heard from my mother. She contacted me over the Com-Screen especially for it. The War's over! My father beat Prince Coola in battle! The Saiyan Empire won!" Gohan's face was flushed with excitement and joy which surprised some of the Princesses quite a bit. Gohan had shown little interest in the War previously, not even talking about it as it had been something he had no interest in wanting it to go on. His next statement answered this question however as he blurted out "And my father will be coming to the Moon Kingdom!"

"You mean now?" Mina asked, quite taken by surprise by all these sudden developments.

There was a small giggle from Gohan as he heard Mina's question "No silly. There's still some work needed to be done with getting a treaty sorted out and organising an occupation force. He'll be here in a month or so. Oh this is great! I haven't seen him in so long! Mom said that once she has the baby, they might even be able to come to the Moon almost permanently! This is the best news ever!"

Finally, the Princesses understood Gohan's enthusiasm. He had been separated from his family for so long; the thought of them being together again was overwhelming to him, the joy, incomparable. Serena was the first to reply with a smile "Well that is good then. It'll be nice to have your parents around. Especially with a baby around, that'll be so cute!"

Everyone rolled their eyes at those words. When it came to cute things great and small, Serena had a habit of overdoing things… Gohan simply smiled in response before saying "Well we've still got a few months before that happens at least. But this is going to be so great! I can't wait for you guys to meet him; it'll be so great and…"

A small series of coughs (The sort someone only ever does when they don't want to be too rude when interrupting) from behind Gohan made him stop and turn around. General Cosmos stood in the corridor, a blank look on his face. He gave a nod to Gohan and the Princesses before turning to Serena "I wish to speak to your Highness in private for a moment."

Although Serena was rather surprised by this, she nodded her agreement and giving a quick goodbye to the others, followed Cosmos to another corridor, some way away from where the others had been. When they had finished walking, Cosmos looked both ways suspiciously before saying quietly to Princess Serena "I have news from Earth, apparently Prince Darien has managed to grab enough support to send a small Army from Earth to aid us. It's been done completely on the quiet and almost complete. However, I do need your help regarding one thing."

Serena allowed herself a moment to take it all in before suppressing all the questions that came to mind as she knew that she had to focus on this one thing for now "W-What do you need from me?" She asked, wondering what on Earth this had to with her, although simply the name of Prince Darien made hope for so much…

"Prince Darien still needs convincing regarding certain elements of the plan. I need you to do that. Although I hate to bring you into it like this, I must ask you for your help in order to cement Prince Darien's commitment to the venture."

Without a single pause in thought, Serena nodded fiercely, wanting to help however she could and hoping that it would lead to further contact with Darien "Is there anything I should know? Like about the Fleet or how strong it is?"

Cosmos shook his head "There won't be any need for that. The information about the Fleet itself isn't of any great importance regarding your efforts to sway him. All information is in my office regarding the Fleet's strength and power and it shan't be going anywhere soon." Cosmos gave a respectful nod to the Princess "I'll be waiting for your message to the Prince tomorrow morning. I'd take it tonight but business in Lunos calls me away I'm afraid."

Serena nodded her understanding, mentally starting to write down her message to Prince Darien already. She knew that she could convince Prince Darien given just one letter… Suddenly, Serena picked up her head, sensing… something wrong. She looked up and down the corridor, trying to see what it was that had alerted her so much. Her behaviour did not go unnoticed with General Cosmos and he too scanned the corridor, trying to see what had disturbed the Princess so much "Is anything the matter Your Highness?" He asked.

After a moment, Serena shook her head "No… I thought that there was something… I must have been imaging things." She turned back to Cosmos with a look of determination on her face "Don't worry, I'll be able to convince Darien to help us, you don't have to worry about that."

For the first time Serena could remember, Cosmos gave a warm, almost paternal smile "Good to hear. I shall be back by ten o'clock tomorrow. I hope I can have the message then to send." Serena's answer came in the form of a nod which pleased Cosmos further "Good, I'll be leaving sometime tonight. Until tomorrow your Highness." He gave Serena a salute and marched off down the corridor, leaving her seemingly alone.

As Cosmos left, Serena turned to leave but shivered a little as she did so, the feeling of wrongness still remaining with her. She tried to shake them off however, telling herself that there had only been her and Cosmos in the corridor. But Serena had only checked each end of the corridor, she hadn't looked up…

XxX

For Piccolo, his understanding of the Moon Kingdom ended with living in the Palace and having a few short conversations with the Princesses and Dende while training with Gohan. So why Dende had insisted on dragging him to this meeting with Queen Serenity he had no idea. It was largely a conversation over a meal anyway; the Queen having just gotten back from training her daughter and the other Princesses in their skills in magic and wanting to relax although her face still showed clear signs of strain from hearing the news that there was a traitor in the midst of the Palace. Queen Serenity was hugely popular amongst the Moon Kingdom and she in turn responded to this warmly. The thought of anyone betraying her or the Kingdom itself came as a heavy blow.

Trying to put such thoughts away, even for a short time, Queen Serenity had invited Kami and Dende to a small dinner which Dende insisted on bring Piccolo along for, wanting to get him and Kami to mend some bridges. This was actually having a less than limited effect… Dende had thought holding it on the Queen's private garden would help things, just a small round table with some faiter and water for the four guests surrounded by the small yet lavish beauty of the Queen's garden. It wasn't doing much however, Piccolo was hardly one for beauty and Kami still didn't trust Piccolo enough to feel comfortable around him. Dende was the one who largely carried the conversation which, almost inevitably, turned to the subject of the traitor.

"I just can't believe this." Queen Serenity said, her voice lined with worry "In the last two years of outright War and the tensions before that we've never had a spy in our midst."

"The Dark Kingdom has many resources at hand your Majesty." Kami said calmly "To bring someone over to them as a spy, even against their will is not beyond their reach. Especially with a sorcerer such as Babidi in their ranks, as evidenced with the nations of Earth turning against you."

Queen Serenity was forced to agree with that, the Dark Kingdom had managed to turn almost all of Earth against the Moon Kingdom; one person in the Palace wouldn't be that difficult given the proper abilities. Serenity sipped from her glass of water, deep in thought as she considered what had happened these last few days "I'm sorry I'm not the company I usually am but this problem is just getting to me. Is there anything which can point us to who this traitor is?"

Kami had an idea but kept his mouth shut, knowing if he voiced his suspicions regarding Piccolo then a fight would be the least of the following problems… He did think about the Queen's words though, trying to think of anything that could lead to the traitor but he came up with a blank. Dende went through the same thought process as Kami but like him, was unable to come up with a suspect.

Piccolo himself also thought about who the traitor could be and for a while came up with the same conclusions as the others, until a certain fact popped up in Piccolo's head. He had thought about it earlier but hadn't dwelled on it, other factors being closer to mind but now, as he concentrated, it came back to him. The point over the ambush of the conveys from the Saiyain Empire and the Moon Kingdom had struck him as odd in that he knew the resources the Dark Kingdom had better than anyone and had been confused as to why they had limited their attack by leaving the convoy from Jurai alone. They had the resources enough to attack all three of the convoys which had been listed in the files in Cosmos's office so why only strike two? The only reason Piccolo could think of was because the traitor hadn't told them. But why would that…

"_How many escaped?"_

The question, which had simmered at the back of Piccolo's mind for some time suddenly hit him and with a cold, dreadful realisation, realised that he knew who the traitor was. His shock must have registered on his face as Dende asked curiously "What's wrong Piccolo?"

There was no answer for a time as thoughts raced through Piccolo's mind at the possibilities. He tried desperately not to believe it but further evidence just made it so obvious. He now knew what he had to do, not confront the traitor, he had no direct proof. Instead, he'd have to make them reveal themselves… He looked over to the Queen, determined in his course of action and said "Where is General Cosmos?"

XxX

The office was pitch black, no light showing or coming from anywhere in it. It was night now, with Cosmos elsewhere and the Palace quiet; there was nothing to disturb it. Or, so it seemed until the door to the office opened and a figure swathed in shadow stepped in. With no hesitation, the figure silently closed the door and headed towards the desk where Cosmos kept his files, having done this once before. The figure thought that they were in peace; all they had to do was find the files regarding the Earth Fleet and they could leave, reporting the information to those in the Dark Kingdom and then…

A low, shallow light suddenly appeared, illuminating the office slightly by casting a low glow throughout it. The figure turned and saw the light came from a small ball of energy, held in the air by Piccolo, who had been waiting in the corner all along. Although the light was dim, enough of his face was shown to see it was lined with sadness at his discovery. Brightening up the energy and causing more light to shine through the room, Piccolo said sadly "Stay still Gohan."

The light reflected off Gohan's face was dim but enough to show no emotion on his countenance. Only his eyes, which showed an unnatural dark gleam to them showed any sort of feeling. For an instant, Piccolo felt the faintest twinge of relief at realising he'd been right regarding that aspect in particular. Piccolo took a step forward, trying to get through to the young boy "Gohan, just…"

An animalistic growl emanated from Gohan's throat and his eyes went completely dark, the control that Babidi had over his body and mind was deep for Gohan to react in such a way. It seemed that the plan would have to go to full effect. Piccolo threw out his hand and the ball of energy shot across the room, striking the wall and causing a burst of light, distracting Gohan momentarily, which was all that was needed. From another hiding place in the office, Kami stepped forward, raising his walking stick and shouted out an incantation as he struck it against Gohan's forehead, sending a surge of magic through him. Gohan screamed in agony as Kami's magic went straight through him, causing him to collapse to his knees before falling unconscious, his eyes losing their darkness before they were closed.

A moment of silence followed before the door to the office opened and a light was switched on with General Cosmos stepping into the room. Silence reigned as they all looked down at Gohan's unconscious form, not one saying anything as their gaze looked and the young boy lying there. After a long, sad, moment, Cosmos spoke up "So… it was the Prince who betrayed us?"

"Not by his own will." Kami cut in quickly, wanting to make that point clear "He'd been taken over be the Dark Kingdom, although how they were able to get him I have no idea. Babidi's magic only influences people so long as they have hatred in their hearts. What did Gohan have?"

A growl came from Piccolo's throat and he turned to Cosmos "I think we know about that… and the Princess."

For a moment, Cosmos looked confused before he suddenly realised what Piccolo meant and his mouth gaped "Y-You were in the garden that night!" He said, remembering the noise in the bushes "Why didn't you say before?"

"My major concern was with the Princess and I didn't feel like arguing with you over it." Piccolo snapped "There wasn't enough time to tell you earlier, it took me long enough to convince you to trust me!"

Before Cosmos could reply, Kami stepped between the two and over to Gohan, kneeling down and pulling up the sleeves on his shirt, holding up the boy's right arm and displaying a highly stylised '_M_' written on the skin, for all appearances looking like some malevolent tattoo. Kami shook his head sadly "Whatever happened, happened. We first need to see to it that Gohan is completely purged of Babidi's influence, what I struck him with will only stay off the influence for some time. We need to get him to a safe place where I can get rid of the rest."

Cosmos nodded and went over to the door, motioning outside where two soldiers quickly followed him, picking up Gohan between them "Take him to his room and follow Kami's instructions to the letter." The soldiers nodded as they followed Kami out of the room, carefully carrying the sleeping boy with them. When they had gone, only Piccolo and Cosmos remained, with Cosmos collapsing down onto the chair at his desk, sighing before looking up at Piccolo "So… how did you work it out?"

Piccolo said nothing at first, walking up to the desk, looking tired and forlorn, taking a breath before answering "Babidi got overconfident, he wanted Gohan to gather every bit of information he could and that's what caused him to slip up. Asked me a question which should have alerted me earlier but I was distracted. The fact that the Jurai convoy wasn't attacked was a big tip off. I saw what he was like with Princess Sasami; Gohan has reasons to hate the Saiyans and thanks to you and Serena, he had more than enough reason to hate the Moon Kingdom but no reason to hate Jurai."

For once, Cosmos didn't have any sort of answer to an accusation; he merely put his head in his hands and sighed "I know… I warned the Princess, told her to tell the Prince what she was doing… I never should have encouraged her, never should have even given her the opportunity but I felt for her and Prince Darien…" Cosmos looked sadly at Piccolo "They do love each other you know, they really do."

"And what'll happen to Gohan?" Piccolo demanded, this one question being utmost in his mind "Is he going to be punished?"

There was no real answer to that and Cosmos knew it, he simply shrugged and said "As much as I wish otherwise… Prince Gohan shall still be held to account for what happened. He may have been under the control of Babidi but people died because of it. I cannot allow him to just walk away from it." Cosmos looked regretful as he stared Piccolo in the eye "I'm sorry about this, I truly am. But I cannot sweep it under the carpet; Gohan will have to face what he has done."

Although he was an old soldier who had faced many things, Cosmos still shot back in shock as Piccolo raised his fist and brought it down onto the desk, smashing it into fragments "FACE WHAT HE'S DONE??" Piccolo yelled, his face a mask of rage "He came to this Kingdom, was ostracised, humiliated and betrayed by those who he thought were his friends! When will they face what they did? When will you?!" The demands came thick and fast, Piccolo's fist covered with wooden shards as he glared at the General, daring him to answer.

After moving forwards in his seat, Cosmos looked Piccolo straight in the eye as he replied "I will answer to myself Piccolo. And believe me that is penalty enough. Serena shall answer to her own heart when she learns of tonight's actions. But remember Piccolo, in our actions, dishonourable they may have been, we did not betray the Moon Kingdom, Gohan did."

A low pitched growl, made of pure fury came from Piccolo's throat as leaned down, glaring at Cosmos "If you think Gohan's to be punished, you're wrong. I'll rip this place apart if you try and harm him like you…"

Whatever Piccolo was about to say, he was cut off as the Palace suddenly rang out with the noise of an explosion. Cosmos practically jumped out of his chair and ran to the door, almost clashing into a soldier who Piccolo recognised as one of the two who'd carried Gohan away. The soldier looked beaten badly, his expression unclear and right arm hanging uselessly as if it had been snapped in two. Overlooking his pain, the soldier blurted out "S-Sir! T-The Prince woke up earlier than we expected… he attacked us, Kami's healing the other soldier… He escaped sir…"

Giving a small cry of fury, Cosmos darted past the soldier, suddenly fearful of what Gohan could do to the Palace "Where did that explosion come from?!" He shouted, fearing the worst.

The soldier pointed with his one good arm "F-From the Queen's chambers I think sir…" No other words were needed as Cosmos started bolting down the corridor, a cold chill in his heart as he suddenly realised what the explosion could be… Getting a similar idea, Piccolo followed him, hoping that if it was Gohan, he could talk him down or something before it was too late…

XxX

For everyone outside the small group who had been in the office of General Cosmos, the evening had more or less gone simply enough with sleep being the major occupation of everyone within the Palace. In her quarters, Princess Serena slept soundly, having finished her letter to Darien, Serena went to bed, determined to be up as early as possible in order to give it to Cosmos, wanting Darien to give as much help as he could. Her sweet dreams were interrupted by the explosion that rocked the Palace and she shot up in bed, looking around as her nerves were on the edge. Her thoughts regarding the explosions were stopped as she noticed the door to her balcony was open and half in the room stood Gohan, bathed in shadow "G-Gohan? What's going on? What was that noise?" She asked, her mind still catching up with events.

Gohan remained in the shadow, not coming in as he spoke, his voice steady and calm "It's nothing important Serena. At least, not as important as what I have to say…"

The fog had cleared from Serena's mind and she looked closely at the boy in front of her "Gohan, why are you here? Shouldn't we go to where the noise came from?"

No answer was forthcoming expect for Gohan remaining quiet for a moment, his steady gaze making Serena shiver "I'm here because he wants me to be here."

"Who's he?" Serena asked, fear working up her nerves for reasons she was unsure of…

Another pause followed, it was if as the words Gohan was speaking came with time and some effort "It's Babidi, he's the one who's making me say this, who has control over me, who made me betray the Moon Kingdom. And he wants to thank you."

The fear in Serena's heart became full fledged dread as the words came from Gohan's mouth, the revealing of the traitor was not what she expected and the revelation it was Gohan shocked her to her core. Unable to think, she yelled out "Babidi! Let Gohan go now! He's nothing to do with this!"

A low, malevolent laugh came from Gohan's mouth, it sounding foreign and strange from him "Nothing? You foolish girl, thanks to you, he has everything to do with it. Ever since he came back to the Palace early from the Mask Festival and saw you in the arms with that Prince of yours, he's all I've ever needed to spy on your Kingdom. A shame that he's been discovered but I have plans for the boy…"

Serena had by now shot out of bed and was starting to rush towards Gohan. Still under the control of Babidi however, he rushed back to the balcony and started to fly off the ground, floating away until he was some feet away from it, his face in a sneer of contempt "Such talents this boy has! Rather sneaky to, enough to go through the gardens without you or your Prince noticing. You know how it felt for him to see you kiss Prince Darien? Like a dagger, plunged into his heart! Taking control of him was easy after that… and I want to thank you for it!"

Leaning over the edge of the balcony as much as she could, Serena felt her body wrack with guilt as she realised that her actions had come full circle. Desperate to do something, she screamed "Please Babidi! Let Gohan go! Take me instead but just leave him alone! I beg of you!"

That arrogant smirk, so wrong looking on Gohan's face grew wider at those words "While that is tempting, the boy will be of far more worth to the Dark Kingdom than you will ever be. But to show you that I care, you will be allowed a moment to hear his farewell."

The smirk vanished as Gohan was allowed some control over his body once more. Tears formed in his eyes as he choked through what he had to say "S-Serena…" He whispered, raw emotion choking his words "I-I'm sorry… for all of this. Please… forgive me…" A scream then issued from Gohan's lips, his body flung high into the air as Babidi wrenched control from him. Gohan shot into the dark sky, his body becoming the faintest blip before shooting out, like a falling star, going to a location only Babidi knew of.

Serena watched Gohan fly up, unable to think or react as the grief washed over her. When he finally disappeared from sight, she sank to her knees, unable to get through her grief and guilt at what had just been revealed. She looked up to the stars as Gohan's words came back to her. She let out a sob of pure despair as she realised that it was she, not Gohan who needed forgiveness. And she knew that it would be Gohan who paid dearly for her crimes…

To be continued…

**Hopefully I managed to surprise a few people with that revelation there. And if you think this is the worst of it… think again… And please, read and review!**


	23. A Saiyan Ascends

A Marriage of Convenience

For a Saiyan, the call of battle was everything, no other duty could compare with the thrill of fighting an opponent and the eventual victory. To miss all this then was nothing short of outright frustration as the thought of losing out on the honour of a fight was appalling. This line of thought was no more felt by any Saiyan other than Karort, who had missed out on the glory of the War with the Freezing Empire these last few months to monitor the activity of the spying device which Colonel Nappa and Admiral Kurot had left on the Moon Kingdom.

Seated in a small room in the Saiyan Military Command Centre, Karort had spent the last several moths looking into a screen which the spy-cam sent its information through to, using a similar type of communication as the Com-Screen to do so. He had spent months screening through the information, bored to tears at times as he found that which was important in the going on of the Palace, the spy-cam sending the images from the shadows and vents of the Palace to his small little room. Karort often regretted volunteering as a 'Military Intelligence Expert', soon realising that the whole title was a contradiction in terms.

It had been tense and quite often, dull work, it being the imperative that the device not be discovered by the Moon Kingdom during its mission of spying on the innermost chambers and places of the Moon Kingdom's Palace. The information gathered over these last few months did indeed give the Saiyan Empire valuable knowledge of the Moon Kingdom's strengths and weaknesses. As well as (Although Karort would never admit it), bountiful entertainment of the soap opera variety at times, the ongoing saga between Princess Serena and her meeting Prince Darien proving to be the highlight of it all.

Currently, Karort was using the spy-cam to scout out various parts of the Palace. Emperor Vegeta had been told of the ongoing search for the traitor within the Palace and had wanted updates on it constantly. While some sections of the Palace were impossible to navigate because of their security arrangements (Such as the office of General Cosmos), certain areas were easier to get around with the spy-cam, including the living spaces of the Palace. Currently, the spy-cam was situated in a vent which looked out onto Queen Serenity's bedroom where she, several soldiers standing guard and the Namek Ambassador Dende all stood waiting. Karort had gained enough information from spying on various soldiers to know they were waiting to find out who the traitor was. Something Karort was also curious about the truth of, making an inward bet on Piccolo.

From the spy-cam, he could see the soldiers at the door to the bedroom, standing guard while Queen Serenity stared outside one of the windows of the bedroom, looking over at the night. Dende sat calmly of the floor, in a meditative state, looking for everything that he hadn't a care in the World. His calmness obviously annoyed the Queen as she looked over to the Namek and sighed "You know, I'd have thought you'd be more alert than that."

Much to the Queen's chagrin, Dende gave the smallest of shrugs she had ever seen and muttered "Until Piccolo or General Cosmos come back with their information, there's nothing we can do. So until then, we may as well clear our heads in order to better prepare ourselves for what comes next."

The worst thing about that statement was that it was completely true and Queen Serenity knew it. She sighed and went over to her bed, sitting down heavily on it, trying to clear her mind as Dende had suggested but found little in the way of success, her mind always wandering back to when Piccolo had (With a good deal of reluctance) voiced his suspicions regarding who the traitor was. She had regarded his suspicions as absurd at first, until she had seen his line of thought and Dende had voiced his thoughts regarding them, only adding to their weight.

Looking out over the room, from the guards at her door to Dende and up to the ceiling, before the tension finally got to her and she blurted out "But can it honestly be Gohan of all people? Was Piccolo serious when he said that?"

"_Gohan?" _Karort thought incredulously _"They think it's the half breed?"_

Another shrug was the initial answer from Dende before he spoke "It certainly is possible. Gohan has the motive and the skills for the Dark Kingdom to exploit. If what Piccolo said was true, then we should stick to his plan. We're here for your protection in case the first part of it fails. We need only wait for word from the others your Majesty, just wait until then."

The Queen thought about this and frowned, finding it hard to believe that her daughter could be so stupid as to act how she acted with Prince Darien. To go behind the back of Gohan in such a way was a betrayal and for Cosmos to encourage it… she'd make sure that the both of them put an end to it after this had been seen too. She was severely disappointed in Serena, if she hadn't been so reckless… "Gohan has been taken control of by the Dark Kingdom if Piccolo is right, then are you sure you're enough to stand up against Gohan? From what I know of his training with Piccolo, his strength is incredible."

The tension in the air thickened with those words, the thought of Gohan bursting through and attacking the Queen was worrying indeed. Dende finally opened his eyes, his face showing the concern he did in fact feel "If Gohan, under the influence of the Dark Kingdom's power, does attack here, I do believe that I have enough knowledge of magic to stop Gohan in his tracks for long enough to take advantage of it. And your own magic should be a great help in that your Majesty."

Before Queen Serenity could make a reply, something which had been bothering her a little for some minutes finally came to her attention. A strange, almost mute whirring seemed to be coming from somewhere although she couldn't quite place it… Turning to Dende, she asked "Do you hear something? Some sort of machinery…"

"I've been hearing something true. I just thought the vents were making an odd noise."

Serenity shook her head, standing up and walking over to where the vent was on the wall. Despite there being far more important things to worry about, this at least allowed some little sense of normality by just looking at something mild "Dende, can you open the vent? I want to see if there's something blocking it."

Waving his hand, Dende used some magic to loosen the vent and slowly pull off the cover to it, thankful for any sort of distraction. Worlds away, Karort started to panic, it was too late for him to order the spy-cam to retreat from its position and the vent it was in was too long without any corners to hide behind, it'd be spotted. With no alternative, Karort looked down to the control panel in front of him, his hand going for a button that would force the spy-cam to self destruct. Although he knew he'd be in a lot of trouble with Emperor Vegeta over destroying the device, it'd be a lot worse if the Moon Kingdom discovered that the Saiyan Empire had been spying on them.

Without even hesitating, Karort pressed the button, initiating a very short self destruction sequence that would cause the spy-cam to explode. Karort was unsure of the scale of the explosion but he imagined it would pack a punch. After a few seconds, the screen went blank, the self destruction of the spy-cam having been completed. Rising from his seat, Karort turned to meet with Emperor Vegeta, knowing the news he had to give him would be regarded as highly important.

As he left the small room to give his report, Karort wondered what would become of Gohan if what Queen Serenity had said was true. The penalty of treachery of that magnitude was punishable by execution, no exceptions. Although Gohan's treachery was technically against the Moon Kingdom, Karort knew that Emperor Vegeta would be more than happy to have his pound of flesh when it came to any punishment. Whatever happened, Gohan's fate would not be a happy one.

XxX

The explosion had been more powerful than Karort had thought it could have been, blasting out the entire wall of Queen Serenity's bedroom, sending shards of rubble everywhere. The noise was heard throughout the Palace and was what sent Piccolo and Cosmos rushing to the Queen's aid, tragically mistaking the explosion for Gohan attacking her. When they arrived, it took for some moments before they realised what had happened, Queen Serenity herself had been stunned in the chaos while Dende was helping the soldiers recover from some injuries.

"I don't know what happened." Dende said when he was asked "Something in the vent caused the explosion, a bomb of some kind."

"Could it have been planted by Gohan?" General Cosmos asked, still wondering if the control over Gohan had caused him to try for assassination.

"If Gohan really wanted the Queen dead, do you think he really would have used a bomb?" Piccolo retorted hotly "This is someone else's doing. Gohan's still out there somewhere and we need to find him!"

Before he could ask how they were supposed to do that, a familiar and foreboding sound was heard. The Bell of Tucana was tolling good and strong, showing the sign of dangers to warn all within hearing distance. Cosmos's face contorted with fury as the Bell was heard "Hell and damnation!" He cried out in frustration "Is the Dark Kingdom to strike at us from all sides this night?!" He pulled out a short range communication device, something that had a signal straight to the War Room. He demanded to know what the bell was signifying.

Through his exceptional hearing, Piccolo heard the answer, and it chilled him to the core.

"I-It was a portal sir; it appeared on the outskirts of the city before vanishing a moment ago." A pause as the soldier breathed confirmed this, the Bell of Tucana had stopped ringing, the echoes of its last toll were finishing as the soldier finished "Our scanners show that someone went through it sir. We believe it to be Prince Gohan…"

Despite his efforts to maintain his composure, Piccolo found himself giving a cry of sheer anguish and fury. The noise sounding more like that from some mad animal than a Namek as pure rage overwhelmed him as he realised what had happened.

The Dark Kingdom had Gohan.

XxX

The darkness that Gohan awoke from was quite relaxing, his brain had yet to waken from his forced slumber and for an instant, he could believe that everything was alright. As the fog cleared from his mind however, the terrible memories of what had happened came crashing down over him and it was all the boy could do to suppress a sob of anguish. He gradually opened his eyes, only to be greeted by more darkness around him. He was in a large chamber, cavernous in size to the extent where he couldn't even see the ceiling or that far in front of him, a single torch's flame was all there was to illuminate the space around him, and that wasn't much at all. The effect was oppressive, overwhelming and awe inspiring, which was almost certainly the point.

As the fog cleared from his mind, Gohan realised he was standing, his wrists shackled in chains above his head, tied to two posts at his sides. Gohan pulled at the chains but to no effect, his body oddly weak and he slumped forward, feeling completely drained, the chains clinking softly as he went forward. As he did so, a distressingly familiar voice spoke, causing Gohan to jolt in shock.

"Well, well, look who it is, the little mongrel who took my arm." Into the light stepped Malachite, his usual pristine appearance only marred by his missing arm, his uniform adjusted for that. Malachite swaggered up to Gohan, his self confident smirk etched on his face as he stepped right in front of the boy "Now this is certainly an opportunity not to be missed. I believe the Humans have a saying, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth." Malachite used his one remaining hand to flare up a spell, the blue fire crackling around his hand echoing throughout the hall "But in this case, an arm for an arm…"

The fire was shoved directly into Gohan's face, the flame crackling so close and the heat almost unbearable. Gohan refused to show fear though, remembering the example set by Piccolo when he had been confronted by the Four Generals. Instead, Gohan used what strength he had left to bring up his foot and kick Malachite away, miscalculating the arch of his leg and instead of catching Malachite in the stomach like he aimed for, his kick went squarely into the General's groin. Malachite let out a low groan and fell back, collapsing to the ground in a heap as the pain overcame him.

"Something wrong General?" Gohan asked sweetly "You seem to have something wrong with you all of a sudden." The boy knew that he was likely to die at the hands of either the General or another of the Dark Kingdom and was determined to cause as much frustration and pain for his captors as possible, succeeding already with Malachite. The General quickly got over his pain however and scrambled to his feet, his eyes flashing in a stone cold fury, calling up his magic in order to strike the boy in revenge.

"That's enough Malachite!" A voice called out, one completely unfamiliar to Gohan. He peered closely as into the light stepped a tall woman, clad in a dark dress with long hair and a piercing cruel face that was locked onto Gohan, not even bothering to glance at Malachite as she walked forward "Leave us General." She ordered "Your transgression will be overlooked… for now." Realising that he was lucky to still be breathing, Malachite quickly straightened himself out and after giving one last glare at Gohan, turned on his heel and marched off.

The woman looked at Gohan for some time, the light of the lone torch flickering across her face, making the look on her face seem all the more frightening to him. After the Queen had had her fill of looking at Gohan, she smiled in an arrogant manner "Yes, I see that you will be an excellent addition to my forces. You see those chains binding your wrists? They're designed to keep you as weak as a newborn kitten. Although I see you've managed to retain some strength. You will be an adequate slave indeed…"

Gohan peered at the woman closely, trying to think as a way to get out of this when he realised who she was "Y-You're Queen Beryl?"

"And smart too." The Queen smirked in reply, leaning down close in front of Gohan "And with luck, you'll be handsome too, a winning combination. Babidi!" she called out as Gohan shivered at those words, realising that he wasn't here to die, but to be twisted into a slave of the Dark Kingdom. The thought of being in the power of Beryl and her followers, Gohan willed himself to resist everything they'd throw at him, he'd take death over what they'd do to him any day.

Into the light now came Babidi, his repugnant face marked with the most savage look of triumph as he looked at Gohan, walking up to beside Queen Beryl. He bowed before her and said "Is the boy ready for me to begin Queen Beryl."

"Indeed, use what you like in order to break him Babidi. Just make it quick, the sooner we have him as a soldier, the better." Then turning to look at Gohan, she gave a smile which almost caused the dread he'd been feeling since he woke up to completely wash over him. Only by gathering whatever resolve he had left was he able to keep himself steady. With one final look at Gohan, Queen Beryl turned on her heel and left, the darkness consuming her as she stepped out of the light.

Now only Gohan and Babidi were left in the small circle of light with the sorcerer edging closer and closer to the boy, his face still twisted in a snarl of ugly triumph. After he stood looking at Gohan for a while, making sure that Queen Beryl had truly gone. When he was certain that she was, he raised the staff in his hands and raising it at Gohan, let loose with a bolt of dark magic that hit the boy square in the chest. Pure, incomprehensible agony shot through Gohan's body, making him jolt back and scream uncontrollably as the pain lanced through him.

For what seemed like an eternity, the dark magic from Babidi's staff coursed through Gohan's body, causing him untold agony as it seemed his very body was splitting apart from the pain. In an instant though, the sensations suddenly stopped and Gohan collapsed, only his shackles preventing him from tumbling to the floor in a heap. Shuddering from the pain, Gohan hung in his restraints, his vision blurred as his head ached from the after effects of the attack. He looked at Babidi, trying to ask what the sorcerer was doing but his voice got stuck in his throat as the pain remained through him. An answer however was about to be given anyway.

"Consider that payback for ruining my plans you little freak!" Babidi snarled, thrusting his face right in front of Gohan's "I was this close to getting ready to destroying Beryl and taking over the Dark Kingdom until you came and destroyed my weapon! Well I am going to have my pound of flesh and so much more with you. Beryl wants me to break your spirit, and I'll do it. But it will take quite a lot of time and before it's through, you'll be begging for a swift death."

Gohan remained silent; he had largely recovered from Babidi's attack while he spoke although he still remained too weak to do anything other than glare at the sorcerer. Regaining his voice, he still offered as much defiance as he felt he could muster "D-Do what you want. I won't beg or break. I'll escape Babidi and then we'll see how good your magic really is…"

As if he couldn't think of any other sort of reply, Babidi simply raised his staff and another bolt of dark magic shot through Gohan's body, the agony even greater than before as red hot bolts of lightning shot through his very veins, making him writhe and scream. Just as it seemed that Gohan was going to blissfully pass out, the pain stopped and Gohan once more fell in his restraints, hanging by them feebly as he gasped and tried to recover from that attack, barely able to concentrate on anything else but the pain.

Babidi have a simple smirk at Gohan's attempts at recovery and tapped the boy's head with his staff as if chiding him "Stupid half-breed, you will break and then you will become my puppet, subject to my every whim. And with you, I'll finally kill Beryl and then take over the Dark Kingdom and then the rest of the Galaxy. I know you can do this mongrel. I saw it when I was controlling you, all that untapped power within you, it was… incredible. I can unleash that, turn you into the most powerful warrior in all creation and then, I will have you kill everyone you ever loved. The Princess who betrayed you, the Namek who trained you and of course, that one from Jurai you're so fond of…"

Suddenly, as if those words had awoken something deep inside Gohan, he jolted forward, trying to grab Babidi and strike him where he stood, his face contorted in fury "LEAVE THEM ALONE!!" Gohan screamed, his rage fuelling his moves as he strained forward, trying to get his hands on the sorcerer only to be denied by the chains on his wrists.

For an instant, Babidi showed true fear on his face as Gohan sprung forward, stepping back as he feared the worst. When the chains refused to break though, his normal look of arrogance returned and he stepped forward, resuming his former position directly in front of the boy "Still have some fight left in you? Well in that case, maybe I'll let one small part of yourself remain intact. That way, there'll always be one part of you screaming in agonised guilt over your actions." Babidi raised his staff once more, giving Gohan a repugnant smile as he said "To start off with, I'm going to erase everything that's good about you, turn your very soul into a pit of agony and hatred until you're nothing more than a savage beast. From then on, I'll mould you into my own weapon of destruction and become my herald for a new order with me as its God."

With no other words, Babidi raised his staff and shot a crimson coloured light towards Gohan which hit the boy square in the forehead. It didn't cause pain like the others, this was much worse. Every memory of him being hurt, either emotionally or physically (Quite often both) suddenly ran through his mind, never ending as he felt all those old wounds open up, letting out a scream of anguish, of pain as every injury ever done to him, physical or emotional, intentional or accidental ran through his mind, making him relive the pain over and over again.

_Parlee's mother telling her not to play with 'that boy'…_

_Raditz lying to Kakarott about why his son will walk with a slight limp for a few days…_

_His grandfather, Bardock, doing nothing as he looks on as his grandson is beaten down once again by his uncle…_

_Serena and Darien kissing in the garden…_

_General Cosmos humiliating him in front of the Queen and her Minister at the interview…_

_Empress Misaki's expression as she sees her daughter dance with Gohan…_

_Serena and Darien kissing!_

_Orion's words cutting him to the core…_

_SERENA AND DARIEN KISSING!!_

Overcome with the memories which so hurt him, Gohan felt himself fall further and further into the darkness of rage and hatred. Of all the memories that shot through him, that kiss, the one Serena had with Prince Darien cut through his heart to the core. He had cared so much for Serena, had told her everything there was about him and for her to go behind his back and to betray him in such a manner. He had sacrificed his relationship with Sasami for the marriage, why had she not done the same?

The bitterness, the rage, the pain building up within Gohan grew and grew as each memory hit him again and again. Babidi watched smiling as the boy screamed out with the anguish of all his pain from years of pent up aggression, knowing that he would make an ideal slave when he was broken. But for Babidi, everything was to go horribly, horribly wrong.

It was well known that Gohan was son of Kakarott, the Ascended Saiyan, one of the most powerful beings in the Galaxy. But his weakness was just as infamous within his people although his growth in strength had not gone unnoticed and his potential was what Babidi wanted most of all when it came to ensnaring Gohan's spirit. But what he didn't realise that the key to unlocking Gohan's potential was pure, unfettered emotion. The key to any Saiyan Ascending to their greatest power was to be completely pure of heart and mind, to have one goal only in order to fully reach a new plane of power. For Gohan, he had only one thing in mind, to avenge every wrong ever committed against him, rage drove him to want revenge on everyone and everything.

The first signs that appeared which showed things weren't going according to plan for Babidi was that Gohan's pupils faded away, they hadn't rolled upwards out of sight but had instead just blanked over from some form of energy. Shards of energy suddenly started to shoot from Gohan's body, appearing like lightning, they struck the ground around him as the boy screamed, the process having begun, he was Ascending.

"_W-What is this??" _Gohan screamed in his mind _"I-It's too much!! I can't… I can't contain it!!"_

Another scream shot from Gohan's mouth as he broke from Babidi's spell, now shooting forth such emissions of energy that Babidi gaped in terror and started to step backwards, unable to believe what he was seeing. His terror was complete when Gohan pulled at his chains, this time snapping them completely, leaving only the shackles at his wrists as his energy levels rose to frightening levels, his very appearance changing now. With one final scream as the power almost overwhelmed him, Gohan threw back his head, feeling as if he was going to explode as his hair suddenly flashed and was turned to a shining bright gold, complete with a brilliant glowing aura surrounding his body.

Babidi was thrown back onto his back as the transformation took place, the sorcerer barely even able to comprehend what was happening. Bathed in the darkness of the surrounding shadows, Babidi looked up and finally understood as Gohan's eyes started to clear and pupils became visible, deep, emerald green in colour "I-Impossible!" The sorcerer screamed; fear gnawing at his very soul "You can't ascend! _YOU CAN'T_!!"

But he was wrong and as Gohan took a step forward, he realised that. Although he was unsure of how or why, he had Ascended, become every bit as powerful as his father. His gaze turned to Babidi and one look of uncontrolled loathing appeared and he stepped forward, energy taking on the form of lightning still shooting out from his body uncontrollably. Unable to think of anything, the sorcerer broke down, pleading for his life "No! Please!! Have mercy on me! I… I was only obeying the orders of Queen Beryl! Kill her if you must!!"

An evil smirk, so alien on Gohan's face appeared as he raised his hand, his palm facing Babidi "Oh believe me," He said, never tearing his eyes off Babidi "I will." A small ball of energy, no larger than a tennis ball shot forth from Gohan's hand and struck the sorcerer in chest before he could make any sort of reaction. With one formless scream, his body was vaporised in an instant, ending the life of Babidi in seconds.

This act of murder, once so repugnant to Gohan, now gave him nothing but cool, clear satisfaction. The transformation had not only changed his appearance and level of power, but something deep within himself as well. Now he could understand why other Saiyans delighted in combat and killing and he would take part in it alright. Every slight, every insult was now to be repaid, starting with…

Before he could complete that thought, Gohan lurched forward, his body feeling as if it was bursting from all the energy consuming him from inside. He needed to let it out and now or it would destroy him. Taking the merest second to concentrate, Gohan groaned as he started to create a sphere of pure energy around himself, trying his hardest to get rid as much as he could without desperately weakening himself. Unused to expending such energy so fast however, Gohan's inexperience quickly reared its head as more and more power went into what he was doing.

Gohan's breath came in short, sharp pants as the sphere around him expanded and grew, unable to control himself, more and more energy went into it, banishing the darkness as its light travelled further away from the boy, ripping at rock and earth as it started to tear the very planet apart where it meant.

"_T… Too much… Someone… Help…" _Gohan inwardly pleaded as he saw the destruction he was causing, knowing that if he did not stop, this World would be torn apart. But he could not stop and with a growing fearful realisation, he realised he could still die here, but by his own hand…

XxX

Activity in the Moon Kingdom's Palace had been frantic in the hours after Gohan's disappearance. While Piccolo the Queen and the Princesses were desperate to do something to help the boy, the only thing General Cosmos could do was convince them that such a task was impossible at present. Cosmos had tried his upmost to look into any sort of rescue operation but it was looking bleak to say the least. As much as Cosmos was loath to admit it, Gohan was now as good as dead, if not worse.

It struck the aged General as more than oddly strange that Gohan had so destroyed the prejudice that the man had built up around his life regarding Saiyans. To abandon such firmly held beliefs did indeed take a great effort upon his behalf and as he thought back on the boy, Cosmos had to admit that the Prince had always conducted himself with honour and a sort of inner nobility that he had been too blinded to se at first. At this point, Cosmos would have sacrificed so much to bring him back to the Moon Kingdom if only he could.

Cosmos forced himself to be brought back down to reality as he looked down onto some disturbing reports given to him on the investigation on the explosion at the Queen's bedroom. He had set up in the Command Room where one soldier was looking through the satellite to Planet Metaria in order to give Cosmos updates on command. Initial scans of the area had shown clear traces of Vetoid, a metal alloy most commonly used by the Saiyan Empire. It would have made no sense for the Saiyans to have tried to kill the Queen so the only other option appeared to be some other kind of metallic object with the most logical choice being some kind of spying device. Cosmos swore under his breath, so this was how the Empire treated its Allies? Admittedly Cosmos would have certainly done the same in their position with the Queen's backing but to risk her life with an explosive device was unforgivable.

His thoughts were interrupted by a very shocked voice saying "G…General? I t-think you should come look at this sir…" Cosmos turned around to look at the person who spoken, a young soldier manning the desk which monitored Metaria through the spy satellite. Cosmos rushed to the desk, looking over to it before feeling his jaw drop in shock "…By the… Stars…" He muttered, barely believing his eyes at the sight in front of him.

The Planet Metaria did not look at all like a regular Planet. Where once it had been whole, now, an enormous chunk of it had been obliterated; giving the idea that someone had come along and taken a bite out of the Planet like it was an apple. An entire third of Metaria was gone, vaporised completely and by the looks of it, the other two-thirds were near to following the same path. Just as he finished that thought, Cosmos had to shield his eyes as what remained of Metaria exploded in an almighty flash of light, chunks of the Planet ripping apart and crashing through space while the majority was destroyed instantly, crumbling into nothingness upon explosion.

As the after effects of the explosion were witnessed by Cosmos, the General could think of only two questions. What had happened? And almost as important, where was Gohan?

To be continued…

**Well I've finally got that big tease over, Gohan did kick much posterior as asked and I hope the chapter ending wasn't too much of a kick in the shin. Just remember to enjoy and R&R!**


	24. A Silver Lining In A Dark Cloud

A Marriage of Convenience

Aboard the Royal Ship _Ryo-Ohki_, the luxury behemoth which was the choice for any Jurai members of the Royal Family, things were usually quite quiet for the most part. Well… as quiet as you could get for the Royal Family of Jurai anyway. The honeymoon trip for Princess Ayeka and Duke Tenchi had certainly had its fair share of interesting incidents with Princess Sasami also livening things up in her own way. For the two manning the communications room, Yagami and Toku, the trip had further been livened up by constant news reports from all around the Galaxy, news of the marriage on the Moon Kingdom and the closing stages of the War between the Saiyan and Freezing Empires in the Western Quadrant being highpoints of their time.

What was happening now however was something neither of the two had expected, although the fact they were travelling very near to the section of Space which bordered the Central and Southern Quadrants, having toured through several Planets which were friendly to Jurai should have given rise to the possibility in their own minds. As the cameras on the hull of the ship was showing, a small craft was approaching, its design the same as that as a Dark Kingdom scout ship.

The two had been joined very quickly by Captain Shuya, the man in charge of the well being of the ship. The order had been given to prime the weaponry and to turn on the ship with the clear intent of firing. The only thing stopping said order was the confusion of the actual ship's appearance and behaviour, having not attacked nor fled but was just sitting in its position, not doing anything. Captain Shuya was tempted to order the weapons to fire now but he was curious about what the ship was doing. Scanners had show there was a single life form on board and attempts at communication had only just started to be made.

"_HMS Ryo-Oki _to unidentified vessel, please identify yourself." Yagami spoke into the transmitter, waiting for several moments for any reply. After the silent pause, Yagami decided to take a much stiffer line "Unidentified craft you will reply or we shall open fire. Respond!"

Another pause was the initial answer and Captain Shuya prepared himself to give the order to fire when the transmitter crackled and a small, hesitant voice said "… H-Hello? I'm here; I just didn't know how to work this thing…"

The three men shared a look, this didn't sound like a typical Dark Kingdom soldier "State your name and rank and your business in this sector." Yagami ordered, beginning to really become curious.

The reply was once more hesitant and slow, as if the speaker was exhausted and having to gather whatever energy they could before managing to talk "My name is Gohan… Prince Gohan of the Ox Kingdom. I… I'm trying to get to the Moon Kingdom. C-Can you help me please?"

Once again, the three men shared a look that stated their confusion. What was Prince Gohan, who had married Princess Serna not more than days ago, doing out here? At the same time, the voice, that of a young boy along with the ship's actions seemed to point to the truth of his words. After quickly conferring, Captain Shuya left the room, going to prepare a Military escort while Yagami turned back to the transmitter "We shall let you on board, a tractor beam shall bring you in. However, you will be placed under an escort until we can validate your claims."

The relief coming from Gohan's voice was immense, with an almost audible smile as he said "T-Thank you so much… What ship are you?"

Without thinking, Yagami said "We are the Royal Family's ship _Ryo_…" Yagami stopped, realising he said more than he should have.

"The _Ryo-Ohki?" _Came Gohan's voice, surprise and happiness flooding it "Is Sasami there?"

XxX

It had been a very, very busy night for both General Cosmos and Queen Serenity as news and scattered rumours abounded throughout the night, each one either more lifting or more extravagant than the last. Ever since the destruction of Metaria, messages had been flooding in from everywhere. First, soldiers from along the border had been reporting of the known Dark Kingdom positions gradually getting weaker to which an immediate attack was ordered, the weakness of the destroyed command needing to be exploited. Next came messages from Earth, the magic which had so swayed the rulers of that planet had been broken and now they were coming back to their senses.

The most vocal of these was none other than Prince Darien who had been among the first to send a message to the Moon Kingdom reopening their ties of friendship. While Queen Serenity was more than happy that the Earth had reopened its friendship and the affects of Babidi's magic had been destroyed, she still worried regarding Gohan's well being, wondering what had happened to him after Metaria had blown up. No one had yet been able to discern the truth regarding the destruction of the planet and reports were still confusing regarding it. There was too little information to make any real decision regarding it all and neither Cosmos nor Serenity were willing to make any choice on whether to send a ship out to Metaria to investigate.

That which could be discerned however was that the War with the Dark Kingdom was now truly over, the enemy had been defeated. The sheer relief and joy from this overwhelmed practically everything else and as word slowly leaked out, the people of the Moon Kingdom started to celebrate. They had little idea how it had happened but the rumour was so widespread and strong that they had begun to believe it regardless of everything. The Dark Kingdom had been destroyed, that was all that mattered to them.

To those within the Palace however, other matters also concerned them deeply. One of them was staring Queen Serenity right in the face right now. A Com-Screen had been briefly set up in the Queen's personal chambers for contact between the Moon Kingdom and Saiyan Empire was active and the screen was filled with the face of none other than that of Prince Vegeta, the spit and image of his father except for a lack of goatee and a face less lined with age. He had his customary snarl etched on his face as Queen Serenity spoke to him, using her most regal voice "I hardly think it was… prudent of the Saiyan Empire to send a spy-camera into the heart of my Palace, especially one with such destructive capabilities."

The Prince tried to shrug the accusation off, not wanting to listen to this when he had other duties to attend too "At no time was I aware of any of this. My responsibilities are to do with more important matters…"

"Important matters?!" Queen Serenity snapped out, her temper finally snapping after the last twenty-four hours of pressure. Still woozy from the effects of the blast and her nerves on the very edge, Prince Vegeta's comment finally got to her "The Saiyan Empire had a device which had the ability to destroy a section of my home and you say it isn't important! This is my home! What if my daughter had found it? She could have been killed! And you dare to tell me that it isn't important?!"

Prince Vegeta, for once in his life, appeared admonished. He had truly been unaware of the spy-cam and would have been against it having such a large detonation capability, although not its actual deployment. He refused to take a step back from the Queen's tirade however and glared at her "I am not here to talk about your daughter woman. I'm here because you wanted to discuss the device you found. I am here because I have received some… interesting reports regarding Prince Gohan."

Although Queen Serenity's expression didn't change, her mind raced as she realised the implications of what Prince Vegeta had said. She decided to feign ignorance however which, she really felt concerning Gohan's fate "And what do you mean by that?"

"I am referring to reports that the person who betrayed the Moon Kingdom was none other than Prince Gohan himself." Prince Vegeta's tone was measured and more than a little smug, as if saying this proved how inferior the Moon Kingdom was to his own nation. The silence which greeted Prince Vegeta's statement was all the confirmation he needed and he nodded in satisfaction "So then, where is the Prince now?"

After a moment's pause, Queen Serenity gave the honest answer "We don't know. Gohan had been brought under the control of the Dark Kingdom and was transported to Metaria. Since then, we've had no other news except for the fact Metaria has been destroyed and the influence the Dark Kingdom held over the Central Quadrant has diminished greatly. Gohan's safe being is still unknown I'm afraid to say."

The reaction from Prince Vegeta was less than expected at this. For the first time in perhaps in his entire life, he looked genuinely amazed at the news and its implications. The reason for this was soon made clear as the Prince said "We had a reading from Metaria just last night. It was unimaginable power that's only been matched by an Ascended Saiyan…"

This revelation caused everyone to pause. They had all heard of the power an Ascended Saiyan could wield, but never knew it could be that extreme. Destroying an entire planet? It seemed impossible but it must have been true if what had happened was reality. While this appeared to solve one mystery, it didn't answer the other. Queen Serenity looked at Prince Vegeta after shaking herself from her amazement "Do you have any further energy readings? Do you know if Gohan is still alive?"

Prince Vegeta shook his head in response "The reading blew out our circuits on all our machines." Instantly after that though, his face twisted into a snarl "Regardless of that however, if he has survived, he will be brought in. He betrayed both the Saiyan Empire and the Moon Kingdom. For that, the harshest punishment shall be used."

A slow sense of dread spread through Queen Serenity's body as she knew what the implications of that sentence meant. The Saiyan Empire still practiced the death penalty for several crimes and Gohan's age would not stand in the way of them acting upon such measures. Despite that, she knew she had to do something to help Gohan before his fate was sealed… if it already hadn't been that is "Prince Vegeta, I believe that any punishment that Prince Gohan would receive would hurt both our nations. He has after all, destroyed the Dark Kingdom and prevented a bloody conflict as well as only acting as he did because he was under the influence of the Dark Kingdom. Surely he cannot receive some leniency considering his actions and Ascendency?"

With those words, Queen Serenity knew she had read Prince Vegeta right. Although he as known as a hot headed man, he was not overtly or needlessly cruel and she suspected that he himself was rather sympathetic to Gohan's plight. Rumours of a romance with a Human woman had plagued him in his early life which was said to have ended only with his father forcing him to break it off. Although nothing was ever proven, the rumours persisted and despite meeting him several times, Gohan himself had never mentioned anything worse than Vegeta's typical rudeness and arrogance towards him, which, all things considered, probably meant he liked the boy.

With only the slightest twitch in his face to show any difference, Vegeta said "I suppose… in the circumstances… His punishment could be brought down to exile from the Saiyan Empire for the rest of his life."

A grin that was sneaking across Queen Serenity's face had to be cut short. Never having to return to the Saiyan Empire? That would be like a birthday present for Gohan… if he was alive of course. Putting that distressing thought aside, Serenity resumed her conversation "If you are able to see to it that Prince Gohan's punishment takes that form, we shall see to it that he shall remain as far from the Western Quadrant as possible."

The smirk that was ever present on Vegeta's lips didn't disappear at those words but it did soften noticeably as the Prince nodded in agreement "See to it then. Gohan's exile shall be made official once his fate is determined." With those words, the Com-Screen flickered and went blank, Prince Vegeta having finished with this particular chore.

"I notice he didn't answer our demands on the Spy-Cam." Cosmos muttered darkly. He had remained just out of sight of the Com-Screen during the meeting, not wanting to interrupt the Queen. He did give her a reproaching look now however "I hardly think an exile is adequate for his crime." He protested "Because of his betrayal…"

A sudden movement of Queen Serenity's hand silenced the General and he actually looked amazed as she turned towards him, her face full of thunder "No Cosmos, it was because of your betrayal, and my daughter's." The Queen rose from her chair and glared Cosmos full on, the anger she showed overwhelming "You jeopardised the Alliance, threatened the security of the Moon Kingdom and plunged Gohan into the control of the Dark Kingdom. His actions were beyond his control, yours weren't."

Cosmos was silenced at the lashing received, knowing it to be true but not wanting to defend his actions in case the truth as to his motives came to light. His hopes were dashed however as Queen Serenity pressed on "What were you thinking? You threatened to destroy everything due to your actions! Had you lost your senses?"

The tirade left Cosmos silent although he knew an answer was what the Queen least deserved, yet found himself unable to give a truly honest one "Your Majesty… The two… they are in love… I felt as if I needed to do something…"

"And risk everything?!" Queen Serenity hotly retorted, her glare not eased up one bit "Believe me Cosmos, I shall see to Serena later! But as for you… Consider yourself suspended from duty until a court can be called to make you answer for your actions. A young boy almost lost his soul because of your actions. Dwell on that until I summon you again." With that, Queen Serenity waved her hand in dismissal, completing the man's outright humiliation.

Fighting back further protests, Cosmos managed to give one final salute before turning around and marching away, trying not to give into the urge to rush back and beg for forgiveness on bended knee. He knew deep down that she was right but he still couldn't let himself believe it had all been for nothing. It had been worth it because Prince Darien and Princess Serena loved each other. Like he had loved that woman long ago. Like he still loved her and served her every day of his life. He would do anything to serve his love, his Queen, his everything.

Looking back at the room he had just left, a feeling of pure grief filtered into Cosmos's soul and he slowly walked away, from his hopes and the woman he loved. His sense of being broken, Cosmos walked back to his quarters, feeling every step of the way that he had failed in everything and could never hope to redeem himself…

XxX

The surprise Gohan's arrival on the _HMS Ryo-Ohki _was immense to say the least. The Royal ship had been travelling near the border to visit several Worlds which remained close Allies with the Moon Kingdom and by extension, Jurai. Coming across Gohan had purely been by chance as the ship had been rushing through the area to avoid any clashes with the Dark Kingdom. It had taken much time and a lot of insisting by Princess Sasami in order to let Gohan on but even then it was under armed escort.

The appearance of Gohan when he walked on board was heart rending. He was bloody and battered, his clothes tattered and filthy. He had been instantly sent to the medical wing of the ship with the doctors seeing to his wounds and exhaustion. It had been half a day since he had arrived and Sasami had been on tenterhooks throughout the period. Only now, after more than twelve hours was she allowed to see him, after he had been treated. Refusing a chaperone or anyone to be with them, Sasami wanted this to be a private conversation and, considering the state Gohan was in, the point wasn't pressed.

The medical wing of the _HMS Ryo-Ohki _was in pristine condition, clean and sanitised for all uses. In the room Gohan was recuperating, it was bare but comfortable with a long, thick bed with a window facing out onto Space and the multitude of tiny lights that were the stars. On the bed, Gohan lay; now clean after a bath and his injuries given treatment. What the doctor on board could not do was help heal the grievous injuries that were inside the boy, his torment and escape from the Dark Kingdom had severely shaken and disturbed him. All that he needed now was someone to comfort him and in some small mercy, Sasami was there to give it.

For the last hour or so, Gohan had done nothing but stare out of the window, thinking about the events of the last two days. His exposure as a traitor, his being spirited away to the Dark Kingdom, his torture, his Ascension and finally, the destruction of Metaria and his lightning escape from the planet before its destruction. He had only just managed to flee to where the Dark Kingdom kept its ship and through sheer dumb lick, managed to get it off the ground and into Space, almost tearing the ship apart as it went full speed towards the Central Quadrant. He had related his escape to the crew of the _Ryo-Ohki _when he had arrived onboard and was glad that part was over, he felt that he could not go into telling it again while the scars were still fresh.

As he was staring out over the stars, lost in thought, the sound of the doors to his room opening and closing were heard and the soft pad of feet stepping in accompanied it. Pulling his gaze from the window, Gohan turned to the door and his heart suddenly shot up as he saw Sasami standing there, a sad smile on her face as she walked towards him. She nodded as he saw her and said quietly "Hi there Gohan. How… How are you feeling?" The reluctance in her voice to speak as she saw Gohan lying in the bed, his wounds bandaged and his face unsmiling was obvious, she had no wish to disturb her friend any further.

Much to her relief though, Gohan smiled as he replied "At lot better now thanks. The doctor here is great." He held up his hand slightly and Sasami walked up to the bed, taking his hand in hers and holding onto it gently, blushing slightly as the contact between them started. The feelings from before the marriage, that which seemed like an eternity away, now rushed back to the fold and both smiled from genuine pleasure. Gohan breathed before speaking again, his wounds still causing him some pain "It's great seeing you here as well Sasami."

"Yeah, really must have been a one in a million chance." Sasami joked, forgetting Gohan's own brilliance in maths although she suddenly remembered when he saw his expression glaze over in thought "Or whatever it really was." She quickly interjected, not wanting to go through a maths lecture now "How're you really Gohan? If you're scared or upset, I'm here to listen."

Gohan's face remained still for a moment before creasing in pain. He raised his other hand, needing a warm embrace more than anything right now. Sasami leant down and wrapped her arms around Gohan as he started to weep as the grief from his pain overcame him almost completely. His body shook as he held Sasami close, huge body wracking sobs besetting him as he let loose with his grief. Tears streamed down his face and dampened Sasami's shoulder as he continued crying. It took some time before Gohan was able to calm himself down and stop the flood of tears. His embrace of Sasami didn't stop though, not wanting to let go of that one small comfort.

When the sobbing had eased off and Gohan was feeling more drained than ever, he couldn't help but collapse onto Sasami, desperate for any kind of support he could get. The two remained like this for a long time, unable to pull each other away, not even noticing the time going by, simply savouring the moment. It was finally Gohan who broke the silence by whispering "What's going to happen?" A question that had been bothering him since he had reached the ship.

After taking pulling back a little so she could look Gohan the eyes, knowing that the following truth was going to be hard on him but he had to know it "We sent a message to the Moon Kingdom and Saiyan Empire a few hours ago telling them what happened to you. We've been told to head back to the Moon Kingdom in order to begin your exile from the Saiyan Empire." Confusion marked Gohan's face and Sasami went into detail of the news that his apparent betrayal of the two powers Gohan had committed and the subsequent announcement of his punishment which had been crossed with news of his deeds being found out and spread insanely fast.

Caught between the legend of hero and villain, Gohan had been sentenced to exile, effective immediately. The news conflicted inside Gohan; he wouldn't ever see the Saiyan Empire again (Which he didn't really object too) and worries about whether he'd see his family again made him edge either way until his managed to convince himself that he would see his family again but for now, he had other things to worry about. The pain was momentarily subdued as Sasami stood close to him, her presence calming him and acting as something quite soothing. He managed a smile up at her and said in a small voice "As soon as everything is organised, I'm heading to the Ox Kingdom. I've always wanted to stay on Earth, and now I can finally do it and hopefully get some rest…"

Sasami nodded at Gohan's words and smiled at him "I'll be sure to come and visit as often as I can, forget what my mother say. I'll do it."

For the first time on a long while, Gohan's face lit up at hearing something, the thought of visits from Sasami being a light in his darkness "Thank you Sasami, that means so much to me… You've been a real friend."

The slight pressure on Gohan's hand got a little harder as Sasami gave it a little squeeze "I could be something a bit more though…" The meaning in her words was clear as both knew. Thinking back to the time they spent together and how much they really did like each other, some sort of instinct drew them closer together, heads getting nearer as both closed their eyes and their lips touched. The kiss was slow, soft and lasted for some time before it finally broke, their lips parting slowly as the two blushed scarlet at what they had done.

It was Gohan who started first, his mouth twitching upwards as he fought back a smile which was soon matched by Sasami. It broke down however as the burst into giggles, the realisation that they had shared their first kiss together suddenly breaking all the tension both were feeling and letting them mood lift enormously. The giggling carried on for some minutes before Gohan suddenly gave an almighty yawn, his exhaustion finally showing after all this time. He blushed a little deeper as Sasami grinned at him "Sounds like you could do with a good long sleep Gohan. I'll make sure no one disturbs you. You just get some rest OK?"

Gohan nodded in reply, exhaustion suddenly sweeping over him as he rested his head on the pillow, able to whisper out "G'night Sammy…" Before sleep completely overtook him and he drifted into slumber.

Sasami gave one look back before she left the room, smiling as she touched her lips, the innocent kiss they shared still leaving a slight tingling on them. She blushed slightly and finally left Gohan to sleep in peace, her mind full of what could be…

XxX

The sanity of Queen Beryl was a question that had puzzled several people. Why attack the Moon Kingdom for no apparent reason? Why was she so notoriously brutal? Why did she delve so deeply into dark magic when it risked her very being? All those questions were now moot as the idea that Queen Beryl might have had any sanity was now completely out the window. The destruction of Metaria had driven her completely mad with fury, her mind only able to focus on one thing, the Moon Kingdom and its destruction.

Only by the skin of its teeth had the Dark Kingdom managed to get any forces away before Metaria had been destroyed. Over two thirds of its Military on that World had been lost before they could escape and the Moon Kingdom had pressed its advantage, tearing the remains to shreds. Queen Beryl had ordered what was left to a single spot along the border of the Southern and Central Quadrants before striking towards the Moon Kingdom as quickly and as stealthily as possible. The Moon Kingdom had almost all if its forces deeper inside the Southern Quadrant, hunting down the remains it thought was there.

The strike was suicidal, the ships heading for the Moon Kingdom were small in number and it was highly unlikely that they would return. But no one wanted to cross Queen Beryl at this point. Better an almost certain death in battle than a definite slow and agonising death was the general opinion. What wasn't as clear however was just how undefended the Moon Kingdom was, nor that the amount of damage the attack could truly do to it.

But to Queen Beryl, all this was immaterial. Only one focus was on what remained of her shattered mind, the death and destruction of her greatest enemies. She was determined that by the end of it, she would have unleashed an unforgettable blight upon thee Central Quadrant…

To be continued…

**I am so sorry regarding the lateness of this chapter. I've had some family issues pop up which took away my motivation to write. I hope you've enjoyed it and it's been worth the time it took. We're also coming up to the final few chapters now, about… four or five more to go I believe. I hope you enjoy them and please, read and review.**


	25. Precursor to Tragedy

A Marriage of Convenience

The sight of the Moon Kingdom, once so welcome to Gohan's eyes was now a burden to look at. The once warm and pleasant Palace now seemed forbidding and unwelcome with no comfort to be found at all. The stay was planned to be a short one anyway, once the details of the exile were in order, Gohan planned to leave for the Ox Kingdom on Earth. His spirit was spent and he had no other wish than to live a quiet life. If you included his aim to marry Sasami at one point, he had two wishes.

The time was crawling slowly for Gohan, he had met with Queen Serenity briefly, her joy at seeing him safe (By and large) actually giving him a small boost. She had agreed to his plan of leaving for the Ox Kingdom, realising that keeping him in the Moon Kingdom would only add to his pain. One other bright spot of news was that his father was travelling at all speed to the Central Quadrant, wanting to find out what had happened from his son's own mouth. He was being accompanied by a delegation led by his own grandfather, Bardock, which had been sent to organise a new Treaty with the Moon Kingdom. The defeat of the Freezing Empire and the Dark Kingdom had rendered their current Alliance pointless and discussion was needed regarding the idea if they'd continue with it or abandon the whole idea.

The oncoming arrival of a Saiyan delegation did not improve Gohan's spirits to any great degree, the thought of explaining what had happened to him one more time felt like an almost impossible task that he just couldn't cope with. For now, Gohan had some respite as he had retired to his room in the Palace, the _Ryo-Ohki _resupplying before it was meant to take Gohan to the Ox Kingdom for his exile. Gohan had asked for some moments alone in his old rooms, to get his thoughts in order before finally leaving, his mind toying with the notion regarding whether he should say goodbye to Serena and the others.

The idea of seeing Serena, the person who had betrayed and hurt him so badly conflicted within Gohan. On one hand, she had to all purposes stabbed him in the back; the single kiss had destroyed something deep inside him and caused his fall into the Dark Kingdom's power. On the other hand, Serena had been his first true friend, looking beyond his heritage and treating him like a real person. His heart and mind conflicted; Gohan sat on the bed of his old room, trying to think of a solution…

It seemed however, that the will of Fate was determined to make Gohan's decision for him as he heard his door being slowly opened and he quickly turned around, only to see Serena herself stand in the doorway. Considering how she usually looked, Serena was in a terrible state, her hair was untied, her eyes puffy from tears and her face showing signs of exhaustion. She stepped slowly into the room as the door closed gently behind her. A long pause ensued where the two looked at each other, neither saying anything as the tension mounted.

It was Serena who finally broke the silence by saying in a timid voice "Gohan…I'm so glad you're safe."

Not an inch moved on Gohan's face at that, his expression remaining stoic as he considered Serena. After several moments, he finally spoke in a slow voice, each word given consideration before speaking "Serena, I considered you a great friend and, despite everything, still do. But after what's happened, I can't… I can't trust you at all. I just want to get away from everything, including you. Don't make this anymore difficult than it already is please."

For once, Serena had no answer to Gohan's words she was shamed into silence as the truth of it all hit her. Only one phrase was able to come from her lips, meek and small "I… I'm sorry Gohan, for everything. I don't know how it happened… it just did. I never wanted to hurt you." Her words trailed off, knowing they were too little, too late.

For his part, Gohan gave Serena a sad smile and nodded, knowing that she was truly sorry for everything that had happened. But, as before, it wasn't enough to simply apologise and hope that would make it better, too much damage had been done and they couldn't go back to the way they had been "I know Serena," He said "But it's too late, I'm going to the Ox Kingdom and I won't be coming back. We might speak again… I don't know. Let's just say goodbye now and try to leave with some good feeling intact."

The finality of Gohan's tone finally made Serena realise just how sure Gohan was in saying goodbye. Barely able to keep herself from breaking down into tears, she whispered quietly "Alright… But just remember that…"

Whatever Serena wanted Gohan to remember, it was never found out as a sudden explosion rocked the entire Palace and knocked both of them to their feet. Serena hit the ground hard, landing on her side and she winced with pain as her elbow struck the hard surface of the floor. Quickly getting to her knees, she was almost thrown down again when another blast was heard and the entire building around them shook uncontrollably. Much to her surprise, Serena found herself being steadied by a hand on her shoulder, which, as she looked up, turned out to belong to Gohan who suddenly looked very scared.

His face turned out to look outside the window and a groan of horror escaped from Gohan's lips "It's the Dark Kingdom…" He said quietly as he saw the ships bombard the Palace, knowing that his ordeal was far from over.

XxX

The attack on the Moon itself was a shock to almost everyone on it and a complete disaster. The majority of the fleet was in the Southern Quadrant, attacking the tattered remains of the Dark Kingdom forces there, little expecting that they would strike the Moon Kingdom itself. Now, isolated and without proper defences, the Moon Kingdom was under heavy attack by the forces of Queen Beryl's remaining Military forces. The only ships within the range of the Moon Kingdom that were friendly to it was the _Ryo-Ohki _and a small amount of Namekian ships which had arrived in as a first wave of Namek aid for the War against the Dark Kingdom, ironically enough.

The attack had shocked and surprised the Namek ships, forcing them away before they were destroyed completely, much to the outrage of one of those aboard… On the flag ship of the miniature fleet, Admiral Nail looked down at the Moon Kingdom with more than a fair share of dismay. Unable to defend the Moon Kingdom due to being outnumbered and outgunned, the Namek ships and the _Ryo-Ohki _had retreated to escape any attack by the Dark Kingdom forces. It had been an incredibly difficult order to make but he had to look out for his own ship's safety first and foremost. Not that that sentiment was entirely appreciated by someone on board…

For Piccolo, the decision to retreat had been an outright betrayal of his friendship with Gohan. Dende and Kami had forced him onto the ship as a means to reconcile his very being with the Namek High Council. As he was the offspring of Kin Piccolo, it was feared that he would be like his father in trying to take over the Galaxy, killing all in his way. Admiral Nail had demanded his presence in the miniature fleet; wanting to gauge Piccolo for himself and prepare to kill him on the spot should he turn out to be anything like his father. Although right now, it seemed that it wasn't the general case as Piccolo stood behind Nail, barely able to keep his rage in check as he glowered at the Admiral. Dende and Kami stood behind him, looking ready to strike should Piccolo go over the line. Nail stood his ground however, he had enough troubles with a supposed traitor in the Namek ranks, he would not let this get on top of him.

"We have to go back!" Piccolo demanded, thrusting his face into Nail's "Gohan's down there! We can't leave him or the rest there to die!"

No immediate reaction came from Nail as he looked back down to the Moon Kingdom, his own feelings mixed. On one hand, the ships under his command stood no chance in actually forming a decent defence against the Dark Kingdom's attack. On the other, hand, the Moon Kingdom was a sitting duck to the attack, the Dark Kingdom focusing on striking the capital where what defences were left were being obliterated. But even with that taken into consideration, he could not risk his forces on what would be a kamikaze mission. Sadly shaking his head, Nail muttered "I'm sorry Piccolo; we're just not strong enough. If we attack, we'll die which won't be any hope to anyone."

Much to Nail's surprise; Piccolo visibly shook with rage at those words "You'll let the Dark Kingdom kill everyone there? I never knew the Namek High Council would ever let a coward like you command their fleet."

Nail was a sliver away from striking Piccolo directly in the face at that comment, the accusation of him being a coward landing like a blow on him "I'm no coward Piccolo." He growled, "But I refuse to order the ships under my command into a slaughter. We…" Nail was interrupted by a very nervous looking soldier appearing to the side of both him and Piccolo.

"Um…" The unfortunate messenger began.

"WHAT?!" Both Nail and Piccolo yelled at the beleaguered Namek soldier who took a step back under the verbal bombardment.

"W-We've just received word from the Saiyans sir. They've heard of the attack of the Moon Kingdom and the Commander in charge has ordered it to reach here as soon as possible. We believe it will reach here within two hours sir." He paused for a moment before saying "Provided their engines don't fly apart first."

Out of the group, Kami and Dende knew the identity of the Commander of the Saiyan Fleet. Piccolo hadn't been informed and Nail was largely behind in events, the whole saga with Gohan had gone on without his notice and now he was slightly behind on events. But it was Gohan's father who was leading the Fleet and it wasn't surprising that he was going full speed to the Moon Kingdom, concern for his son overriding all other senses.

To Nail, the news was most welcome as he now had time to prepare and the ability to strike once the reinforcements had arrived. All he needed to do now was wait for the Saiyans to arrive and he could strike at the Dark Kingdom forces and drive them away. The one nagging thought in his mind was that he would still have to wait two hours before they could launch their attack on the Moon Kingdom. By which time, the damage on the Moon Kingdom could very well be untold. But, upon reflection, there was no real choice in the matter, outnumbered and outgunned; he would have to wait until reinforcements arrived before being able to do anything.

"Send the message to our other ships, let them know about the reinforcements approaching and tell them to prepare for an assault as soon as they arrive." The Namek soldier nodded at the order and turned around to head back to his post and follow it when Piccolo once more rounded on Nail, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Two hours?! You're prepared to let the Dark Kingdom kill thousands of people while we sit and do nothing?!"

Turning to look at Piccolo, Nail finally realised that Piccolo was truly nothing like the being that had spawned him and allowed himself to be patient with someone who was simply concerned about a friend. But regardless of Piccolo's motives, he could not let that influence his decision. He looked at Piccolo, his face lined with sadness as he said "Yes Piccolo, we're going to do nothing for the next two hours because it's all we can do. Believe me, there's nothing I'd like more than to order an attack but I will not order my soldiers into a suicide mission when there are other options available."

It appeared for a moment that Piccolo would argue some more but instead, he turned around and stalked off the bridge with a face full of thunder. Dende made to follow him but was stopped by Kami resting an arm on his shoulder "Leave him be." The elder Namek said sadly "He has too much rage to be talked too right now. We'll wait until the Saiyans arrive then we shall strike at the Dark Kingdom and finish them off for good this time."

Pausing for a moment, Dende nodded and stood back, only having a long wait to look forward to until the counter attack could be managed. Until then, Dende could only hope that the damage would not be as bad as he feared…

XxX

As another explosion shook the Palace foundations, Queen Serenity swore under her breath while her bodyguards tightened their circle around here. As soon as the attack had begun, all twenty of her bodyguards had run to her rooms where she'd been collecting her thoughts before saying a farewell to Gohan. A moment was all it took before Serenity realised that her entire Kingdom was now in mortal danger, the constant tolling of the Bell of Tucana not being needed to give any further clues. The circle of bodyguards tightened even more as another explosion was heard from another part of the Palace and the tension increased, one soldier had been sent to organise an evacuation of the Queen from the Palace to an emergency location outside the city of Lunos. The attack from the Dark Kingdom ships had been so sudden and unexpected that the plan had been unable to be acted out so far.

Queen Serenity had spent a good portion of the last half hour since the attack began worrying about her daughter. Security in the Palace had been pinned down during the attack and it had been impossible to get from one place to another as segments of the Palace had been put under constant bombardment. One of the first sections to be hit was the section housing the communications devices for the Palace which was why a runner had to be sent. It had been over twenty minutes since he had been sent however and Queen Serenity wondered whether he had made it there or not…

Such thoughts were forced from her mind however as the door to her room shook from an almighty blow from the outside. All the bodyguards present started to draw their weapons before a voice called out "OPEN UP!! THIS IS COSMOS!! I HAVE A WOUDED MAN HERE!!" A moment's pause followed before Queen Serenity gave a nod, signalling for the door to be unbarred and Cosmos to be let in. The guards did so, opening the door only slightly for Cosmos and the injured man through before bolting them shut once more. Cosmos staggered in, carrying the soldier who had been sent out to organise the evacuation, blood was gushing from a wound in his leg and two other guards quickly rushed to him in order to patch it up.

With the wounded guard being taken care of, Cosmos quickly straightened himself out before giving the Queen a salute. His manner was impeccable as usual and Serenity noticed that the man still wore his uniform despite being suspended from his duties. Despite all that was going on, Serenity allowed herself a brief moment to idly wonder whether or not that uniform was the only outfit the man had…

"I'm afraid it's not good your Majesty." Cosmos said solemnly, interrupting her thoughts "Large sections of Lunos and the Palace have come under fire and are severely damaged. This soldier was hurt from a ricochet from a wall being blown inwards. Should be on his feet in a good amount of time though… if we're lucky."

There was a moment where Queen Serenity simply looked at Cosmos, looking as he stood to attention, never wavering in his dedication or loyalty to his Queen. For over thirty years, Serenity had known, respected and liked Cosmos (Although not entirely all the time for the last one) and saw in him an able and devoted servant to the Moon Kingdom. But… seeing him like this, fighting through an attack in order to reach her rooms to give her a status report… Serenity wondered if it was simply duty which drove the man or something else. Driving those thoughts from her mind, she focused on the matter at hand "Is it just an aerial bombardment?"

"I only wish your Majesty. Several Dark Kingdom ships have landed just outside the Palace and are sending soldiers directly inside the Palace." A chill went through everyone's spine at that and several eyes went towards the door, wondering when the attack would come. Cosmos sadly shook his head as he saw their gaze turn that way "The soldiers I saw weren't heading to our location. They were moving towards the eastern wing."

The horror that came from these words for Queen Serenity was that the eastern wing was where her daughter's room was. The thought of Serena being under the threat of the Dark Kingdom directly was too much for her. She started to rush to the door and unbolting it desperately, frantically trying to get out and get to Serena. Cosmos rushed to her side, putting a firm hand on her shoulder "Your Majesty, you cannot go out there! It is far too dangerous!"

"I don't care!!" Queen Serenity screamed "Serena is out there! I want her safe! I want her here with me!" She continued to pull at the door, trying to get it open "I need to see her!! I…"

The blow was quick, hard and sudden. Queen Serenity dropped to the floor as she went into unconsciousness, not even feeling the blow as she hit the ground. Cosmos withdrew his fist, not even daring to think about what he had just done. He looked over to the stunned soldiers who were staring in shock at what they had seen. Without saying anything, Cosmos leant down and picked up Queen Serenity before taking her over to the bed and setting her softly down on the quilt. Then he spoke "As much as that pained me to do, we cannot allow the Queen to go out when the Palace has enemies in almost every corner. The only option left to us is to wait out here and hope for reinforcements. Any objections?"

Silence was the only response and Cosmos nodded before sitting on the edge of the bed and staring intently at the door. Hoping beyond hope that Serena would be fine, not realising who the true target was…

XxX

"What's the old saying? 'It never rains, but it pours'?"

"Gohan, I think we've got more important things to worry about right now…"

"Like what? We're pinned down in this room, we can't move and worrying won't do any good anyway. Was I right about the saying?"

Serena raised a hand and opened her mouth to lecture Gohan about being so frivolous now of all times but only managed a sigh, realising that he was right in that there wasn't a lot they could do. They were currently underneath Gohan's old bed, having dived for cover when the attack had begun. The bombardment had been constant, particularly around this part of the Palace and they'd been forced into a safe place with little option of moving without risking being hit from an attack.

The explosions from the blasts of the Dark Kingdom sent down to the Palace seemed to stop for a moment and as an eerie silence reigned, Serena decided to continue from where she had left off earlier as she was unsure of what would happen later. Taking a breath to steady herself, she said "Gohan… I just want to say that despite anything that happens, I was always happy to call you my friend and… I'm sorry, for so much."

The silence allowed Gohan some thought into his reply before saying "I don't know what's going to happen Serena and I hope we get out of this alright. But… but if we don't… then I just want to say thanks for being my first friend. Even after everything we've gone through, when we get through this, you'll always have that place for me." A blush went across Gohan's face as he felt Serena's hand placed on his and he looked over to her with some surprise.

"Do you think that we could keep in contact after this? Even a few letters would be good… I really care about you Gohan. Please don't let it end here."

The hand on Gohan's squeezed softly and the boy blushed a little deeper, enjoying the comfort gained from it. After a moment, he nodded slightly and grinned "I think we can do that. I suppose a visit every now and then would be…"

That sentence, the last one Serena would hear from Gohan in that room was stopped short as the doors to the suddenly blew open, sending wood, cement and shards of both throughout the room. Before he realised it, Gohan dived on top of Serena, shielding her from the ricochets across the room as the bed was hit and embedded with the fragments. When the noise died down, Gohan raised his head and regretted it instantly. Where once the door had stood, a huge gaping hole was in the wall which was filled with a huge amount of Dark Kingdom soldiers, hundreds of them looking into the room, leering and preparing for an outright attack.

The only thing holding them back was the figure at the very centre of the group, her eyes wild with hatred and close to madness stood Queen Beryl. Seeing Gohan on the ground, protecting Serena, her eyes flashed and she hissed in anticipation of her vengeance. Pointing a finger at Gohan, she let out an evil hiss "You're _mine_!!"

To be continued…

**As good a place to leave it I believe. Next chapter should be up sooner with luck. Although it might not be well received considering what'll happen in it… Anyway, please Read and review!**


	26. A Fallen Child

A Marriage of Convenience

When the Dark Kingdom forces, led by Queen Beryl had burst into the room she and Gohan were in, Serena had no time for doubts or to pause. Using instincts she didn't even realise she had, she concentrated and using the power of the brooch that was ever around her neck, transforming her outfit into the one which denoted her magical power and for a split second, felt a little self-conscious at revealing her outfit considering this was the first time anyone besides her mother and the other Princesses had seen it. She tried to overlook it before Gohan leant over and whispered "That's what you're wearing?"

Rolling her eyes Serena hissed back "At least mine's got style. You're just wearing your regular outfit!" Indeed, Gohan was wearing a simple variant of his regular outfit of a silk shirt and trousers which appeared quite mundane compared to Serena's winged, multi-coloured dress.

"Well excuse me for not thinking to put on a sparkly outfit in the event of being invaded. Should I get everyone to wait five minutes while I go get changed?" Came Gohan's retort, actually forgetting about the problem at hand as he prepared to lapse into an argument.

"Don't take that tone with me!" Serena snapped "Just because my outfit's a little… extravagant means you can insult it?"

"I can when you insult mine!"

Before Serena could make any further reply, a blast of magical energy was shot right between them, forcing them to dodge backwards with Gohan doing a back flip and facing the crowd opposite with a growl coming from his throat. Serena also dodged and flipped around, holding her sceptre tightly and glaring at Queen Beryl who looked fully into the depths of madness by now "Enough of this foolishness!" She almost screamed "Both of you will die and I will tear this World apart!"

"But why?" Gohan asked "Can't you just…?"

"Just what boy?" Queen Beryl sneered "Make peace? You foolish little half breed freak! This goes beyond what you can comprehend. There are forces at work here you couldn't even begin to comprehend. And neither will you, when I'm done, you'll be on your knees begging for death!"

A small ball of energy suddenly grew in Serena's hands, the magic sparking wildly in her hands as the fear she began to feel making it hard to concentrate "Just you try you hag!" Serena shouted "We can beat you!"

Dark lightning crackled from Queen Beryl's fingers, the sound making Gohan flinch as it reminded him of his brief captivity under Babidi's torture. The sneer on her face was enough to make anyone shudder, her face contorting into a grotesque mask "Oh no you won't little girl. I think I'll have you flayed alive while your dear cuckolded husband watches. And then, his torture will begin."

Unable to take the pressure anymore, Serena let loose with her magical attack, aiming straight for Queen Beryl herself. Barely even flinching, Beryl stretched out an arm as the sphere got close and swatted it aside, causing it to strike three of her own soldiers, killing them within a second with a bright flash of pure energy. Both Serena and Gohan gasped at the display at such strength the Queen had shown "You weak little fool." She said, triumph resonating in her voice "Don't even believe you can come close to my power. You stand no hope of victory. Surrender now and your deaths shall be without the true amount of agony I can truly create."

A mere glance that lasted for only a second was all the confirmation both needed with what they thought "You want us?" Gohan said "Come and get us."

That was all Queen Beryl needed in order to finally snap with her patience. With a voice which showed her descent into insanity, Queen Beryl cried out the order "Kill the girl! But I want the boy alive! He will answer only to me!"

And with those words, the several hundred Dark Kingdom soldiers surged forward, too afraid of Queen Beryl to hesitate for one moment as they struck. The attack was chaotic and undisciplined, the crowd fighting with each other almost as much as they were trying to fight Gohan and Serena. The two defenders sprung into action with Gohan leaping in front of Serena before striking those directly in his path with a blast of energy from his hand, obliterating several of them on the spot. He then dived straight into the fray, using his power to keep up his speed and strength.

Serena paused for a moment, realising that despite everything, Gohan's first instincts were to protect her and other people other than himself. Inspired by that thought, she decided to do likewise and leapt into battle, swinging her sceptre and unleashing a stream of energy which struck at the oncoming soldiers. The fight started fully as Gohan and Serena fought back to back, Gohan relying on his pure strength and energy to fight while Serena used her magical abilities to see off the threat. The ensuing clashes resulted in explosions littering the room, tearing apart the walls as the blasts hit them.

Queen Beryl had no reaction to any of this, she watched calmly as the fighting went on, keeping a cool and steady gaze on events. Her effect was noticeable as the Dark Kingdom soldiers, though outmatched, continued to attack as they still feared her much more than they did Gohan and Serena. The attacks were often suicidal charges, the attacker lunging at Gohan Serena only to be sidestepped and then blown to Oblivion with a counter-attack. It took some time and casualties before several remembered they could respond wit their own magical and energy attacks.

This added more and greater danger for Gohan and Serena as they had to dodge the projectiles while still trying to dodge the melee attacks desperately. Gohan managed to keep one step ahead until one soldier, a woman that looked a great deal like the Harpies of legend, dove at his face, trying to scratch his eyes out with her claws. Gohan stumbled back, his hands raised in defence as the soldier clawed at him. A sudden burning sensation struck his arm and he dived to the floor as he tried to gain his bearings, rolling towards the wall as he felt blood start to drip down his arm. A large cut had been made on his arm just below his shoulder. Thankfully, it was only skin deep but the blood still flowed from the after effects of the magical attack.

Grimacing slightly, Gohan forced himself to overlook the pain as he went back into battle. He knew that this battle would likely end with the death of either the entire Dark Kingdom Army or him and Serena were lying dead on the ground and that he had to give it his all. Well… not entirely his all. The ability to Ascend was still within him, he could feel it lying there, waiting to explode at a mere whim. He forced himself to bottle it up though, forcing himself to stay as he was, knowing that he couldn't control himself if he did so. The destruction of Metaria had shown that he could not control the true power he could wield. And rather than risk having the Moon Kingdom destroyed, Gohan had decided to keep his power level down, despite his fears of losing the fight and his life.

The battle continued to rage as Gohan strove to keep his power under control, fighting back the urge to Ascend and strike down all of his foes in one blast. On her end, Serena was having another difficulty as she struggled to keep herself from exhausting her own energy. She had been training greatly these last few weeks but aside from the brief fighting during the initial raid on the Palace, she had not been in a battle where her life was on the line. She was expending too much energy too soon in this battle as she struck at her enemy's. Although she didn't realise it and continued to attack the soldiers hitting them with all her might, obliterating all in her path and taking down many of them.

Screams filled the air and the smell of burning and blood soon came to the notice of Serena and Gohan, the area around them becoming littered with the fallen and wounded. The walls around the room had been blown to pieces in the fighting; leaving what remained now staring out onto the Palace gardens which themselves were being gradually destroyed as some shots went wild, destroying the structures and churning up the ground, the title 'War zone' could not have been more appropriate in describing it.

Debris was flung throughout the remains of the room as Gohan and Serena continued their battle, the latter flagging slightly as her energy drained at a frightening rate. The crucial point came when Serena, having thrown one last attack at a foe, collapsed to her knees, overcome with dizziness and losing her strength.

"SERENA!!" Gohan yelled as he saw her fall. Abandoning his fight with another opponent, he literally flew to her side, throwing a powerful attack at those surrounding Serena, driving them back. He landed at her side and put a protective arm around her, thinking the worst had happened "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine… Gohan." Serena managed to say, her weakness still remaining, compounded by a light headedness that had come from the huge amount of energy she had used up "I… just need a… breather." Serena managed to take a few breaths before finally realising something was amiss "Gohan… why aren't we being attacked?"

It took a brief second for Gohan to realise what Serena had said and he quickly turned his gaze upwards to see that the Dark Kingdom soldiers had indeed stopped their attack, pausing around what remained of the walls room as they hissed and glared at the two young warriors. Looking at Queen Beryl, Gohan could see why. She had raised her hand in a gesture that stopped her minions dead in their tracks. Her eyes blazed with a savage look of inhuman triumph as she stepped forward. Gohan physically shook as the look seemed to pierce his very soul but he regained his composure as he returned the look with a glare of pure hatred.

"Well isn't this a pretty sight." She said, her voice oozing with sarcasm and venom "The traitor, comforted by another traitor. I wonder what you would call such a thing. Irony perhaps?"

"It's called friendship you witch!" Serena managed to snap out from her weakened state "We're fighting for each other and we won't fall. Not to you!"

"We shall see you foolish girl. I can see this battle has left you weakened, the idiotic mistake of a weakling in combat. But you…" She turned to Gohan, that disturbing look in her eyes never fading "You're still going strong. You would have made an admirable servant. As things are, you'll merely be a wretched corpse."

Giving Serena a reassuring look, Gohan then stood up, determination etched on his face as he faced Queen Beryl before getting into a fighting stance "You won't see that Beryl. I'll fight you till you fall and I won't give up. You want me dead? Come on then, you will not find me helpless." Gohan gave a backward glance to Serena "Find somewhere to restore your energy; I'll hold her off till then." Turning back to Queen Beryl, he prepared his defence, this time, not letting her leave his steady gaze.

Serena looked at Gohan, still amazed at the lengths he was prepared to go for her despite everything that had happened. She almost stayed by his fight but realised that in her current state her ability to fight was greatly lessened. Knowing the sense in the suggestion, Serena stepped back behind some rubble, taking a deep breath before she went about the task of regaining the energy that had been spent.

After making sure that Serena was shielded, Gohan started to power himself up, knowing that this would be a difficult battle. In return, Queen Beryl raised her sceptre and black lightning shot out, striking the ground just in front of Gohan's feet, causing him to step back. The lightning eased off as Beryl stepped closer "Now then mongrel, you will taste my true power…" She hissed as bolts of lightning once again shot out of her sceptre, aimed directly for Gohan. Diving to one side, the young boy managed to dodge the attack and quickly sent one attack of his own in reply.

A wave of the hand was all it took for Queen Beryl to swat the attack aside, not caring as it struck her own soldiers as had happened before. The depleted ranks of Dark Kingdom soldiers skulked as the fight between the two began, not daring to interrupt or flee lest the wrath of Queen Beryl struck them down. Knowing that in this regard at least he was safe, Gohan lunged straight at Beryl, wanting to close the distance so his advantage in hand-to-hand combat would tell. This was stopped short as a Beryl through up a magical wall which Gohan crashed against, causing him to crumple to the floor as he felt the impact.

"This is the might which destroyed Metaria?" Queen Beryl taunted as Gohan got to his feet "How pathetic you really are child." She shot several magical blasts at Gohan, each one a dark red laced with black that went at an incredible speed, aimed directly for the boy. Twisting and jumping at an incredible rate, he managed to avoid each and every one of the blasts, throwing his own attacks to deflect a few with an explosion. When he stood back up, his face still full of that determination which showed his unwillingness to back down "Well, well." Beryl said as she pointed her sceptre towards Gohan "That wasn't too bad. Now try this!" She yelled, her sceptre showering the room with dark lighting bolts, striking all around, missing Gohan by the slimmest of margins.

The attack proceeded to tear the room further apart, leaving gashes in the stone walls, craters in the floor and bringing down large sections of the ceiling. Gohan twist and turned, firing his own attacks at Queen Beryl as often as he could only for them to hit the barrier she had set up harmlessly. In response, Beryl created more lightning, filling what seemed the entire room with her attack, her determination to kill Gohan overriding all her other senses. The young boy tried his best but eventually, even Gohan's speed was unable to keep him from dodging forever and one bolt of lightning struck him dead on in the chest.

For that single moment, Gohan knew what true agony was as he was suspended in mid-air, the dark magic which powered the lightning soaring through him, spreading throughout his body as incomprehensible pain shot through his body, feeling as if every single nerve ending on his body was being assaulted by the hottest of flames. Unable to fight back, Gohan could only scream as his entire World was focused on the pain that coursed through him. He was reminded of the torture he had suffered from Babidi's hands although, much to his disbelief, this was even worse. The only thing Gohan was able to recognise aside from the pain was Queen Beryl's mocking laughter, only encouraged by Gohan's uncontrollable agony.

After what seemed like eternity, blackness consumed Gohan as he passed out from the pain. Queen Beryl frowned at this, thinking her vengeance had been cut short, at least for now anyway. Queen Beryl flung her hand and Gohan was sent crashing into what remained of the wall, his unconscious form bouncing slightly as it hit the ground. With Gohan seemingly out of the way, Queen Beryl turned to where Serena had hidden. Her voice called out to the girl, both taunting and terrifying at the same time "Come on out Princess, your friend has fallen; surely you want to join him? You wouldn't want to abandon him, not again."

For all this time, Serena had been hiding away, gathering her energy for an attack against Queen Beryl herself. She had stayed in a kneeling pose, her hands clasped together as she concentrated only on gathering her strength. Concentration which had almost broken when she had heard Gohan's screams. Serena had almost dashed out to help Gohan there and then but the realisation that her efforts would be wasted unless she could get the energy to make this attack prevented her from going. It all relied on one shot Serena wasn't even sure if she could make…

Impatient with Serena's silence, Queen Beryl sent an attack at the rubble she was sitting behind, disintegrating it on the spot, leaving Serena completely undefended "Now, now Princess, don't die on your knees. At least show some dignity that's supposed to come from your station in life. At least the boy went down with some pride." Serena did her best to ignore the taunts, trying desperately to gather her power for that one attack she had to make.

Mistaking Serena's silence for weakness, Queen Beryl raised her hand in a dramatic gesture, starting to gather her own magic attack. A surge of black, formless energy appeared over Queen Beryl's head, twisting and churning into a shape that soon became apparent as a long blade, the shape and length of the blade of a long dagger, black in colour as it gained solid form. The spike pointed itself directly at Serena, glimmering evilly in the light as its tip appeared to aim right for our heart.

"I'd have loved to have you screaming for mercy under my torture." Beryl said to the kneeling Princess, still gathering whatever power she could, her time running desperately short "But I'm afraid I can't stay too long lest we're eventually overrun by numbers. All I shall need is your corpse and that should be enough to break the mongrel's mind. And the satisfaction of killing one of the Moon Kingdom's Royal Family is far too much to withstand. Goodbye Princess, remember in your final moments how you failed to even defend yourself and your friend because of your cowardice."

Because of Queen Beryl's sheer stubborn mindedness on simply wanting to kill Serena and Gohan, she had overlooked the gathering magic in Serena's hands, her hands glowing brightly as the attack powered up. But even now, it wasn't complete; the completion of it so very close, all she needed was a few more seconds in order for it to take place… The power of the attack was going to be immense; she needed it to make sure she could overcome all of Queen Beryl's defences and destroy her evil once and for all.

In one sudden second, the power which Serena had struggled so long to obtain was there, her attack ready to be thrown. Her eyes finally looked beyond her fingers and turned to Queen Beryl, before her body drained of all warmth in horror of what was approaching. The spike that Queen Beryl had conjured up was now flying directly at Serena, its sharp edges seeming to aim for her body directly. Paralysed on the spot with terror, it seemed as if all Serena could do was wait for her end to come. The attack grew closer and closer until it seemed as if it was all over…

One thing managed to drag Serena back to reality with a start. A shadow blurred across her vision, from one side to the next. It was so fast that she couldn't even see what had happened. She blinked in surprise and when she opened her eyes, the blade of magic which had been thrown at her was now gone, as if it had disappeared completely. It had surprised Queen Beryl too as she actually gaped in shock. She actually paused as she wondered what had happened, which was what Serena had been praying for.

Reaching back with her arm, she swept it forwards, the magical build up being released in one smooth oval shape, aimed straight for Queen Beryl. The attack was blinding in its brightness, the sheer power emanating from it being overwhelming to all present. It moved at such speed that Queen Beryl was unable to move an inch before it was upon her. The attack struck her dead on in the chest, only allowing her to give one final furious scream of defiance before Oblivion overcame her. The attack continued straight through the ashes were what remained of Queen Beryl, ploughing through the already depleted ranks of the Dark Kingdom soldiers before finally exploding mid-air, destroying most of what remained of the Dark Kingdom soldiers in an earth-shattering blast.

When the dust settled and the sounds from the attack finally died down, the remaining survivors who had so long been under the terror of Queen Beryl paused as they stared at Serena in fear and awe. The attack had torn apart not only the soldiers themselves but a large section of the Palace, the corridor which had once led to Gohan's room now standing wide open to the air, letting the afternoon shine into what remained of the Eastern Wing of the Palace. Serena's pose remained, her face set, her arm still remained in its pose from where she had thrown her attack at Queen Beryl. Not a single move was made by anyone as all were rooted to the spot.

The peace was finally broken when the few survivors started to edge away from Serena, pure terror from witnessing the slaying of their leader finally motivating them to move. It took only a few seconds from their initial moves to break into an all out run, scattering in all directions in wordless fright. Within moments the entire area was clear of everyone apart from Serena and Gohan, the former collapsing to her knees outright as complete exhaustion came over her. She was completely drained, the attack having taken almost everything that was in her from her body. She could barely even remain the way she was, the thought of simply lying down and falling asleep for a century or two being highly tempting.

Serena almost let the blackness of sleep envelop her when she remembered about Gohan and she shot up in an instant, fear of his condition driving her awake. She twisted to look where he had fallen, desperate for any signs that he was alright. Much to her surprise, Serena saw that Gohan wasn't where she thought he would be the spot where he had been now standing empty. Fear gripping her, Serena turned and looked throughout the room, desperate to see where he was. And then she saw him, and was desperate to forget that she had ever looked.

The memory of Queen Beryl's attack vanishing suddenly made sense as the sight before her shook her very soul. The magic blade, thrown by Queen Beryl still remained, embedded in the chest of Gohan. Serena was rooted to the spot as the image burned into her mind. Lying on the floor, Gohan was perfectly still as the blade was stuck through his torso, the point of it going in deep into the area just below his heart. Finding energy reserves she didn't even realise she had, Serena pulled herself to her feet, managing to run forward to where Gohan was lying, her legs finally giving out when she reached him. Serena collapsed hard beside Gohan, her eyes brimming with tears as the realisation of what she was seeing hit her right in the heart.

"N-No… No… NO!!" Serena screamed, the sight of Gohan's wound making her fear the worst. Serena reached over and pulled Gohan so that he was facing upwards, revealing, much to Serena's surprise and joy, he was alive… barely "Gohan! Can you hear me?! Are you alright?"

Gohan's face seemed half closed, as if he was on the verge of falling asleep. His eyes were barely open and his lips were parted. It seemed as if he was barely even focusing on Serena until he managed to mumble out an answer "S-S-Serena… Is… Is it over?"

The voice, so weak and hesitant was like a beacon of hope to Serena, who refused to believe what her brain was telling her, that Gohan was surely dying "Yes Gohan! We've won! Y-You just try and relax and I'll go get some help." The forced joy in Serena's voice showed her strain, not wanting to believe for an instant that Gohan was truly dying.

Giving the faintest of smiles, Gohan spoke again "P-Please don't… Serena… I don't want… to die alone…"

"You won't! You won't die!!" Serena yelled, the previous terror was flooding back through her as reality came crashing down "You're going to live Gohan! I'll get you a Doctor and you'll live!" The sheer inability to continue with this lie forced Serena to break down, sobbing as she said "Please… live…"

It took a few seconds for Gohan gather what strength he could in order to speak. It was at this point that Serena oddly noticed that Gohan wasn't bleeding, the magical attack seemingly cauterising the wound with whatever energy sustained it. Gohan's voice pulled her from this musing as he said "I… I can't Serena… I'm barely… holding on… I'm just glad you're… safe…"

"Don't speak like that!" Serena said desperately, keeping her sobbing under control as she desperately struggled against what Gohan was saying "You can't just die Gohan! Not now! Not after everything that's happened! There's got to be something we can do!"

"I… I doubt it…" Gohan said, his voice barely above a whisper as his strength failed him "Serena… C-Can I ask… you a favour?"

"What is it Gohan?"

"T-Tell the others… Thanks for everything… My family… I love them… And Sas…ami… I'm sorry we won't be… together…" Those words cut Serena to the core and she knew that something had to be said.

"Gohan, before you… Before that, I'm so sorry, for everything. I should have told you about Darien from the start. If I had, none of this would have…"

Sobs that wracked her body prevented her from speaking further and Gohan looked Serena straight in the eyes as he said the last words she ever though she'd hear him say "Serena… you are my friend… I for…give… you…"

"But I've done so much! How can… Gohan?"

No answer was given to her question and as Serena took a moment to look close enough, she saw that Gohan's body was completely still. The realisation that he was no longer able to give any answer struck her hard. Despite everything, the victory over the Dark Kingdom now seemed pointless as her friend was dead. The shock completely overcoming her, Serena was only able to break down into tears as she kneeled by the body of her friend, the silence of everything around her only broken by her crying.

To be continued…

**I would like to say that you might want to read the last two chapters I'm going to write before passing off any overly critical judgement on this chapter. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and read and review!**


	27. Aftermath

A Marriage of Convenience

The battle had ended some time ago; the ground was still, the air, silent. There were no signs of life at all, except for one. Serena had no idea she had been crying for, only that she couldn't physically continue with it. Her body shook with grief but there were no more tears left to give. All she felt was grief and exhaustion, metal as well as physical. In her arms, she cradled the head of Gohan, unwilling to leave the grisly place and abandon her friend, even in death. The smell of blood and the sight of the carnage of battle had little effect on Serena, her mind only focused on the grief.

Far above Serena, the battle in the skies raged as the combined force of Saiyan, Namek and even the _HMS Ryo-Ohki _attacked the Dark Kingdom ships which had been bombarding and attacking the surface of the Moon Kingdom. The battle was raging but quickly being won by the Allied ships, the confused Dark Kingdom forces unable to bear the onslaught against them for very long. Without the orders of Queen Beryl, they were completely unable to function as the small fleet soon became mired in fighting for itself rather than as a true force.

All this mattered little to Serena, her grief and guilt being the only thing she was able to consider, the still body of her friend being a testament to her failings. Nothing else could distract her from her thoughts. The silence was a contrast to her own inner turmoil, not a single sound was heard until the echoes of slow, deliberate footsteps were heard, getting nearer to where Serena kneeled beside Gohan. If Serena had been in the presence of mind to look up, she would have seen a tall Namek, clad in the robes accustomed to his people and with a slightly blockier head than usual for a Namek. He was standing some feet away, looking at the grieving Princess with an expression, not one of sadness or pity, but sheer calculation.

Stepping forward, the Namek still failed to gain Serena's notice until he leant over and placed a hand on her shoulder, finally rousing her somewhat. Looking through bleary eyes at the figure over her, Serena managed to say "… Kami?" The familiar Namek being the first to spring into her mind.

The figure shook their head, saying in a deep voice "No, I am not he your Highness. Is this Prince Gohan?"

"Y… Yes… H-He's d… de… He's gone…" Serena said before collapsing once more into tears, her words making the pain that much worse.

The Namek watched her for a moment, no emotion crossing his face before crouching down and starting to pick up Gohan. This shocked Serena into action, grabbing onto Gohan and desperately blurting out "No! What are you doing?! Leave him alone!!"

The Namek turned to Serena and with effort, managed to keep the contempt from his voice as he said "Your Highness, Prince Gohan's father is in the battle above us. He does not know his son has fallen in battle. Bad enough, don't you think, that he has to grieve over his son without seeing his body desecrated in such a fashion? Allow me to tend to the Prince and you go to your mother, I am sure she is sick with worry about you."

"N-Not without Gohan…"

With a sigh of impatience, the Namek turned and looked Serena straight in the eyes, meeting her gaze entirely as he said in a low tone "You shall go to your mother, you shall get some rest and you shall not say another word in protest. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a slight pause as the tone sunk into Serena's brain. Finally, in a voice that sounded even more tired than ever, she said "Yes… I'll go do that…" She rose slowly to her feet and started to walk out of the shattered remains of the room. The Namek made sure she had gone before gently picking up Gohan's body and heading back the way he came to a small ship which had brought him to the Moon. His plan appeared to be coming to fruition…

As he left the way he came, Serena slowly stumbled towards her mother's bedroom, barely able to keep awake. After what seemed like an eternity, her mind clouded every step of the way with the strange influence the Namek had put her under the only thing keeping her from collapsing in grief and exhaustion, she managed to reach the bedroom of her mother. Raising her hand, she lightly knocked on the door before saying in a voice barely above a whisper "M-Mother? Are you there?"

The immediate silence after those words was broken by a scrabbling noise and sound of several crashes as furniture which had been piled behind the door in a makeshift barricade was pulled down. The door wrenched open and standing before Serena, a bruise marking the left side of her face, was Queen Serenity, her look of fear and anxiousness melting at the sight of her daughter. She stepped forward and embraced Serena tightly, her voice cracking with joy at seeing her once more "Oh Serena… You're safe, you're alright."

While Serena enjoyed the embrace by her mother, her voice finally brought her down to reality and she gave one last sob ad, before the darkness of sleep overcame her, she managed to say "Gohan's d-dead…"

Queen Serenity held on tight as Serena collapsed completely, falling asleep on her feet as she slumped forward. The Queen's initial joy at seeing Serena alive now faded as her words struck the Queen to the core. She turned around as much as she could, yelling out to the soldiers behind her "Go to Prince Gohan's rooms now! I want to know what's happened!"

All of those behind Serenity obeyed her words, rushing out of the room, not daring to argue with that tone of voice. Queen Serenity started to bring Serena into her room and lay her down on the bed when she noticed one who had not followed her order, General Cosmos. Her tone was as cold as ice as she said "And why have you not followed my order? The battle is over, look to the sky Cosmos and you can see the remains of the Dark Kingdom being destroyed."

Still standing to attention, Cosmos said "We can still not be certain about that your Majesty. Your life is paramount above else."

"Even the life of my own daughter?"

For once, Cosmos remained silent, not having an answer to that. Queen Serenity finished placing Serena on the bed and turned to Cosmos, her expression mingled with fury as she advanced on the soldier "Serena could have died Cosmos. And if she's right, Gohan is. How do I explain to his father that he shall never see his son again?"

Trying to give a coherent answer, the embattled Cosmos said "I… do what I can for the Moon Kingdom your Majesty. Above everything else, it is your safety that is to be considered, not the life of Gohan."

The look of fury never left Queen Serenity's face as she continued to glare at Cosmos, her full anger coming to the fore "Not to be considered?! You are the cause of all this Cosmos! For your own ends you started the letters between Serena and Darien and look what it's led to! My Kingdom burning, the lives of my people destroyed and one innocent boy, whose only crime was to have the wrong lineage, dead! Was it worth it Cosmos? Look me in the eye and tell me it was worth it!"

For the first time in his entire life, Cosmos's iron nerve failed him and his body slumped in defeat, his age finally showing as his face, lined with grief fell "I… I cannot your Majesty." Was his only reply.

"That's what I thought." Serenity snapped, ignoring all else but her anger at Cosmos "Your mistake almost brought down my Kingdom and my family Cosmos. I have nothing else to say to you, you are hereby stripped of your rank and shall be banished from the Moon Kingdom till your dying day."

The look of grief on Cosmos's face surprised Serenity and almost made her feel pity from him. Almost "Y-Your Majesty please! I have served the Moon Kingdom for my entire life! I beg of you, allow me to find someway to redeem myself in your eyes!"

Tempted to merely shout the man out of the room, the faintest feeling of mercy stirred in Serenity's heart. She knew that Cosmos's life was the Army and without it, he had nothing at all. Nodding ever so slightly, she said "You shall have your wish Cosmos. You shall be demoted to Captain and sent to the Eastern Quadrant in order to serve your term there. You will not under any circumstances ever come to the Moon again. Do you understand?"

Fear shot through Cosmos's heart and he almost collapsed to his knees to beg not to leave her sight, to stay on the Moon Kingdom, to finally profess the secret he had kept within him for over thirty decades "But your Majesty! I… I…" Once again however, his courage failed him and he merely muttered a quiet "Yes your Majesty."

Walking over to her bed and sitting on the edge beside Serena, Serenity gave Cosmos one final look "Good. You have until tomorrow before leaving Cosmos, I do not want to see or here from you again. Now get out of my sight!"

Captain Cosmos gave Queen Serenity one final look of yearning before giving one last, shaky, salute and walking out of the room, his neutral face hiding the pain and despair that was going through him. He did not turn back, knowing it to be hopeless and he marched onwards to a bleak and unhappy future.

Queen Serenity herself did not spare Cosmos a single glace when she had finished speaking, concentrating only on her daughter. Serenity looked down and Serena as she slept, knowing that the punishment she had given to Cosmos would be nothing compared to what Serena would go through herself. Serenity had already spoken to Serena about her actions with Darien and she knew the guilt the girl was going through was immense. If Gohan had truly died, she could very well be inconsolable. Sitting without speaking, Serenity looked at her daughter, fearing the future of her daughter…

XxX

High above Queen Serenity, the remains of the Dark Kingdom Fleet had all but given up. Radio signals from one ship that had come back from the Moon Kingdom had already sent the news that Queen Beryl had fallen in battle which had destroyed the Dark Kingdom's morale utterly. They were simply fighting to get out alive by this point, trying to escape from the Saiyans and Nameks that were upon them. Amid the fighting, Admiral Nail found another problem to worry about. And this time, it didn't concern Piccolo. Facing a Com-Screen, Nail looked into the features of Slug, another Namekian who ranked highly within the High Council for reasons Nail couldn't quite fathom.

Despite the battle raging around them, Nail had found a new object of anger as he faced the Com-Screen, barely able to keep his temper in check as he almost yelled at Slug "What do you think you're doing Slug!? You're meant to be finding out what's going on the surface of the Moon Kingdom! Why have you come back?!"

Much to Nail's further anger, Slug showed no great response, apparently too fixated on controlling his ship rather than replying. Nail's fury was only compounded by the fact that Slug had decided to ride straight through the crossfire of battle; risking his very life for something Nail had no idea what. As if he had finally noticed Nail, Slug said in a monotone voice "I am returning because I have found Prince Gohan. He fell in battle and I wish to see to it that his corpse is at least not desecrated when his father comes to view it.

Alarm bells started to ring in Nail's head at those words; he had never known Slug to volunteer for anything, especially the restoration of a body. Nail looked at Slug; suspicion etched on every feature "Why have you really come back Slug?"

Before any answer could be given to that question, Slug's ship suddenly rocked from a blast. The crossfire that had up until this point missed Slug's ship had now finally hit home, striking the small vessel full force. Nail saw the inside of the vessel shake uncontrollably as Slug shouted "I'm losing control! All systems-!" His voice was cut short however as the Com-Screen suddenly went black, communication shut off entirely as the ship was under attack. Nail paused for a moment before realising what had happened. He turned around and shouted to the crew behind him "Get me a visual report! I want to know what's happened to Slug now!"

A flurry of activity followed the order as many of the soldiers sprung to action to find out what had happened. The bridge of the ship turned to face where Slug was last located. After a few moments that seemed to last for years, the helm of the bridge was facing where Slug was last seen, only to reveal nothing now remained. No wreckage, no debris, only the empty space of where a ship once was.

For a moment, Admiral Nail took in the scene entirely before letting his rage get the better of him and slamming his fist at the wall of the ship, furious not only at Slug's wilful stupidity but also the fact that he'd have to break the news to Gohan's father that not only was his son dead but that there'd be no body to mourn. Nail looked out to the scene of battle once more and saw the last of the Dark Kingdom ships either flee or get destroyed. He sighed and knew that his next task would be even harder for him than fighting the Dark Kingdom. Telling a man his child had died would be a difficult thing to do, the Ascended Saiyan had done everything he could to arrive in time to save his son. His reaction would be unpredictable…

XxX

"NO!! THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING!! IT SHOULDN'T!!!" The shout was heard throughout the level of the ship, the rage, grief and pain all coming to the fore at the news he had just heard. Piccolo struck the wall, putting his fist right through it as his vision clouded from unfiltered and uncontrollable rage. Kami and Dende stood well back near the exit, ready to either force Piccolo to calm or retreat should his rage prove too much. With another strike against a wall of the ship, another hole appeared, leading directly into the next room. With that blow, Piccolo apparently calmed down or, his rage subsided for the moment. Looking forward, the anger in his eyes still blazing, his voice spoke with a tone which showed the searing fury he felt "What happened?"

It was Kami who spoke first, his voice trying to be as soothing as possible in order to calm Piccolo down, if such a thing were possible "We're not sure just yet but from what we know, Gohan died in battle against Queen Beryl herself, Princess Serena was with him when he…" With those words, Kami knew he had said the wrong thing as Piccolo's eyes flashed with a newborn anger that surpassed the one just a few moments ago.

"I warned her!" Piccolo snarled, almost incomprehensible as his words choked on the pure emotion coming from him "She's responsible for all this! I'll make her pay!" He started to walk forward, but was blocked by Kami's staff.

"Don't even think of it Piccolo." Kami said, his voice severe "Serena has seen her friend die because of her foolishness. She needs no more punishment than that."

A hand raised and batted away the staff, showing Piccolo's thoughts on that issue "Gohan is dead! And I'm supposed to let her get off with feeling bad?! She'll pay for what she did!"

"Take one more step Piccolo and we will make sure you won't be taking any more." Dende said, stepping directly in front of Piccolo, his youth being no detraction from his force of personality. Piccolo felt no fear as he glared at the young Namek, seeing in him a person who wouldn't back down for anything. A battle of wills between the two was felt as neither was going to give up on what they felt was right.

A hand was laid on Piccolo's shoulder, revealing Kami giving him a stern glare "Don't do this Piccolo. It won't help; Gohan can't be brought back…"

A flash of inspiration lit up Piccolo's eyes as he heard Kami's words, hope rising in his voice as he said "Yes he can… The Dragon Orbs! We can bring him back!"

"No we can't." Kami said sadly "For one, the High Council would never allow it; it is too well known that Gohan is dead. And even if we had managed to keep this to ourselves, the Council would not have just handed over the Orbs simply because you wanted them."

"I'll take them if I have to!" Piccolo snarled, interrupting Kami "If I have to tear apart the entire Council I will! And you to if you stand in my way!"

The reply from Dende was small and saddened, giving Piccolo a harsh truth as he said "It won't do any good Piccolo."

"Why not?! The Orbs have the power to restore someone to life! Why won't it do any good?"

"Because there wasn't a body. The Orbs cannot restore life if there isn't a vessel to hold it." Came Kami's reply, finally realising how different Piccolo was from his father when he saw the Namek's face collapse as the words reached his mind. If there was no body, Gohan's life spirit would have nothing to go to and it would simply vanish.

The grief Piccolo was feeling was immeasurable. He could barely hold himself balanced and slumped forward, despair overcoming him as he sought out something, anything to chance the situation. His pride, his stoicism, his strength disappeared as he looked to Kami one more time and said "T-There must be something we can do! There's got to be something!! … Please… let there be something…"

Kami looked upon Piccolo and could barely believe what he was seeing. The offspring of his evil was before him, begging for a miracle to save a young boy? The elder Namek began to ask Piccolo why he was reacting so badly when they were interrupted by a voice behind them. A Namek soldier had opened the door and said "Kami sir…" Before looking on the sight of Piccolo convulsed with grief and the holes in the wall and stopping in puzzlement.

"What is it?" Kami snapped at the soldier, his patience already frayed greatly.

"You and Ambassador Dende are required on the bridge sir. The Ascended Saiyan has arrived on board and wants a full report on what happened to his son." The soldier looked around the room, trying to piece together what had happened after he spoke.

Kami and Dende looked at each other, dreading the meeting with Kakarott. Only Kami had met him before, knowing that despite his long absence from Gohan's life, he loved the boy dearly and his death would be crushing to the man. With a sigh, Kami replied "We'll go now. Has anyone else come with Kakarott?"

"Only his father, General Bardock. They're both-!" The soldier was cut off from speaking as Piccolo suddenly barged into him, running past him and out into the corridor, heading for the bridge. A moment's surprise was had before Dende rushed after him, knowing what Piccolo was going to do. Kami soon followed, confused but determined to get to the bottom of this.

Both Dende and Kami rushed through the corridors of the ship, determined to reach Piccolo before he reached the bridge. They failed. Both Kami and Dende reached the bridge only to see Piccolo and Bardock locked in combat, despite the best efforts of the Namek soldiers to pull them apart. Bardock had been caught off guard and was struck several times before being able to work up a defence. The two grappled, Piccolo trying to throttle Bardock in indescribable rage while the Saiyan struggled to defend himself. After a desperate struggle, Piccolo was yanked from Bardock by no less than six others, Nail included. He struggled all the way however, not wanting to stop for an instant in his attack.

The confusion, the noise and the struggling all stopped however when a single voice was heard. It was quiet, but had a tone of command that wasn't to be ignored "What is going on." All turned at looked at none other than Kakarott himself, his stance tense and impatient as he looked over the chaos "Who are you and why are you attacking my father?"

"He's the reason Gohan couldn't fight! Him and that son of his almost killed him! He won't get away with it!" Piccolo lunged forward, trying to pull away from those who were holding him back without much success. By this time, Kami and Dende had also reached the affray and had stepped in front of Piccolo to prevent any further attacks if they could.

"What are you talking about?!" Bardock yelled in retaliation "Who are you anyway? Wait… You're the one from the Com-Screen that day aren't you? What're you doing here?"

"He is here at the request of Admiral Nail." Dende said, quickly stepping in "His name is Piccolo if you care to remember and is… was Gohan's teacher for his martial arts. And he is talking about subjects that can wait until later. For now, I believe we need to focus on what is at hand." He turned to Kakarott and bowed his head low "I am sorry for the loss of your son."

A change in Kakarott's face was seen. Where previously, it had remained stoic and hard, it now fell and the Saiyan turned away, unable to face anyone directly in his grief "T-Thank you for your words. But I want to know, above all, what happened to lead to this. Why is my son dead?" The last question seemed to be the Universe at large rather than to any one person.

"It is a long story," Kami said, stepping forward "And one, I'm afraid that will not diminish your grief."

"I want to hear it." Kakarott said, determined to learn everything. With a good amount of reluctance, Kami began to tell Kakarott of the death of his son and the events leading up to it. As the story was told, silence descended on the bridge, not just out of respect for Kami, but also for the child he talked about. Gohan's tale in its tragedy and sadness caused all to listen, wanting to know the truth. As he heard the words, Kakarott stood silent; listening only to how it came to be his son had fallen. As it went on, Kakarott had only one resolve, to speak directly to Princess Serena and find out how Gohan died.

XxX

Ever since Serena had fallen asleep on her mother's bed, a number of people had visited, including the other Princesses, Luna and all those who had seen the destruction in the Eastern Wing of the Palace, wanting to know that Serena was fine and what exactly had happened. Queen Serenity had largely chased them off, wanting Serena to get some rest after her ordeal. Some ships from the Namek Fleet had touched down, with news confirming the death of Gohan and the destruction of his body in Slug's ship.

Each bit of news was even worse than the last it seemed. Only the fact that the others in the Palace had been spared from the rampage of the Dark Kingdom's forces with several people being trapped in their rooms due to parts of the Palace collapsing (Something which had happened with the Princesses of the Confederation of the Planets) and mostly coming to no harm. Now, there was only to Serena to worry about, she had been sleeping for hours and Queen Serenity had only stirred from her seat next to her daughter a handful of occasions.

Now, only one more meeting needed to take place. The Ascended Saiyan would arrive at any moment to talk to Serena. Serenity had hoped to prevent this meeting until Serena had woken up and she had been given some time to recover. But Kakarott's wishes to learn what had happened also had to be respected. His son had died; he needed to know the truth. As Serenity was thinking the situation over, a rap at the door brought the situation to a head. Serenity rose from the bed, walked over to the door and opened it, revealing Kakarott with an escort at his side. He quickly dismissed the escort with a wave of his hand and stepped in as Queen Serenity invited him into the room, closing the door he stepped in.

Queen Serenity gave Kakarott a keen stare noticing he was fairly handsome although his face was now lined with grief and exhaustion. A face more used to smiling now was set as stone in seriousness and sadness. He looked at the sleeping Serena before quietly asking "Is she alright?"

Queen Serenity took a moment to pause as she heard the question, reflecting on how even though he had his own grief to deal with, Kakarott was still just as concerned with others "Nothing's wrong physically. But when she wakes up… I was told Kami told you what has been happening. I'm sorry for all this, I truly am."

Kakarott could only nod in reply, turning to face Queen Serenity as he answered "I don't want to drag this out anymore than it has to be. I just want to find out how my son d… died." Kakarott's voice shook at the word, still finding it difficult to say before he went on "I still need to tell my wife. I-I can't speak to her without knowing everything that's happened."

"I understand Kakarott. I shall see to it that your son also receives the highest honours possible. He performed a great service to the Moon Kingdom, it would be the least I can do." Queen Serenity's voice was sincere in that. She would do everything to secure Gohan's honour.

"But he wouldn't want that." A small voice from the side said. Serenity and Kakarott turned to see Serena, now awake but weak on the bed. Her eyes glistened from tears as she spoke "Gohan hated fighting; he wouldn't want medals or honours. He only wanted to live in peace."

Serena looked up to the ceiling, unable to face either her mother or Kakarott. Her guilt was incredible, Gohan's final moment playing over and over in her mind. She had been awake for some minutes, only now to speak when she felt she had no choice. She felt Serenity sit back on the bed as she heard Kakarott's voice say "Princess Serena, I need to know what happened. How Gohan died. I know this will be difficult for you, but as Gohan's father, I must know."

There was silence for some moments as Serena collected her will power in order to speak of the battle. When she started talking, the words were slow at first, with pauses taking place with every other sentence and her voice cracking under the pressure. Queen Serenity took her daughter's hand and with that small piece of comfort, Serena found the strength to go on. She told all that had happened, her and Gohan fighting side by side, Gohan going out to fight Queen Beryl by himself and in his final move, throwing himself in front of the attack that was meant for Serena, sacrificing his own life for hers. She managed to get to talking about Gohan's last words when she choked up once more, unable to speak because the guilt once more overcame her.

The thought that Gohan had forgiven her, after all she had done, after all he had been through, and he still forgave her? Serena honestly found it hard to comprehend how he was able to do so. She'd preferred to think that he had lied, that he had hated her; she knew how much she deserved it. Her turbulent thoughts were interrupted by Kakarott "Princess… What did my son say before he died?"

Wanting to say anything other than what she was but unable to hide the truth, Serena revealed Gohan's final words, his love for his family, his gratitude to his friends and his forgiveness for Serena. Something which brought Serena to add bitterly "He should have cursed me instead."

"Why do you say that?" Kakarott asked, having remained silent up to this point.

"I betrayed him! If I had told Gohan about Darien from the start, he wouldn't have died! I should have had the courage to be honest with him!" The feelings of guilt finally overcame Serena and she collapsed into tears once more, inwardly begging for forgiveness. From who, she had no idea.

Kakarott watched Serena for a moment. He had known what had happened with Serena and Darien from his conversation with Kami and had inwardly convulsed with fury as son as he looked upon Serena, sleeping soundly while his son had been killed and body vaporised. He had no great plan of what to do although he had thought of letting loose on Serena, venting his fury at the girl. But seeing here now, in agonised grief and guilt, he saw that her pain was possibly as great as his and could not bring himself to scream at her, her suffering was already immense.

The final words of Gohan also moved Kakarott to pause. His son had forgiven the one person who had hurt him the most, even in the throes of death. Kakarott had not known his son as well as he had hoped, their distant relationship being his greatest regret but knew of Gohan's compassion and kindness well enough to believe Serena. Although his anger still bubbled, it wasn't the fury that had been there a few minutes ago. He would not find forgiveness as easy as his son had done, but he would not want to hate Serena, not now.

"My son…" Kakarott said "My son would not have cursed you because you were a friend to him. You fought beside him, he sacrificed his life so that you'd survive, he died because he wanted you to go on living. He thought of you as a true friend Princess Serena; do not think he would want you to suffer."

Serena looked up at Kakarott during his words. The pain, the horror, they were still etched onto her face. But there was a small weight lifted it seemed, as if Kakarott's words had allowed the possibility for forgiveness. It was only the smallest of steps, the guilt still remained, but it was a start. Knowing that there was little else he could do, Kakarott turned towards Queen Serenity, preparing himself for the task yet to come "I've learned all I can from this. Thank you, both of you for what you've told me. Now… Now I need to go speak to my wife… She only spoke to him over the Com-Screen the day before the marriage…"

The words hung in the air after they were said, realising that Gohan's mother had only news of Gohan just before the marriage. Everything afterwards… It could very well destroy her Queen Serenity had thought. Serena knew of Chi-Chi's strength however, and she believed she'd survive although the news would hurt her as much as it did Kakarott. Silently, Kakarott left the room, Queen Serenity offering a quiet word of goodbye before seeing him leave. She turned to her daughter, still grieving for a lost friend, knowing that there was still so much to do. Sitting down once more on the bed, Serenity embraced her daughter, sharing their grief and trying to get through this together.

To be continued…

**One more chapter to go. Next one will largely be an indicator of what'll happen to the characters in between this one and the story that'll come after it. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and R&R!**


	28. The New Beginning

A Marriage of Convenience 

The Doctor was a man of habit. He slept and awoke as it suited him, not bothering with the thoughts or ideas of others. All that mattered in his World was his work and the means to carry it out. It was a difficult life true, isolated away from most of Civilisation, no great amount of contact apart from the occasional visit to the nearest colony in order to buy food. He largely kept a low profile, his work secret to all but him and his… employers. It had been so for years, and he wasn't going to change now.

But, like so many others, even ones as educated as the Doctor, he was about to be proven wrong. It was late into the night; the Doctor was in a deep sleep, not expecting a visitor when a tremendous pounding at his door suddenly jolted him awake. His was a small dwelling, the bed only a little away from the banging door. The Doctor groaned as he pulled himself from his bed, trying to push the fog of sleep from his befuddled mind as he pulled on a nightgown and stumbled towards the door, managing to call out "Who's there? You better have a good reason for disturbing me at this time!"

"Let me in Gero!" An unwelcome and familiar voice called out "I have urgent business!"

Grumbling in protest, Gero nevertheless unbolted the door and let the figure in. The voice had confirmed it but the sight of the Namek Slug was still an unwelcome one. Much to Gero's confusion, the Namek was carrying what appeared to be the corpse of a young boy in his arms. Glaring at it, Gero snapped "What in Heaven's name is that?"

"The urgent business I mentioned." Slug said as he headed to the section of Gero's home that made up his laboratory. It was the largest section of his house, full of scientific equipment and tools. The middle of the lab was dominated by a large table which research subjects were usually set down upon. Slug set the boy down on the table and turned to the Doctor "The sooner you get started Gero, the better."

"I'm a Doctor, not a mortician!"

"The boy is not dead… yet." Slug said "He barely lives and can be revived, but I need your skills in order to make sure that he is… subservient."

There was a moment of silence when Gero realised what Slug was asking. It was going to be one of _those _jobs, akin to a myriad of others he had done in order to keep those who financed his research happy. It seemed odd however that they would want one on someone so young. Gero walked over the boy, looking down on him, mentally taking notes on what was to be done. After a short time, Gero turned and faced Slug, his face stony "I won't be able to do a complete job on this one. He's too badly wounded and wouldn't survive the attempt. I cannot wipe his memories and personality like the others, the strain would be too great with his injuries."

"So what can you do?" Slug demanded, frightened that he had faked his death and lost almost everything for a fool's errand. He couldn't go to Galaxia with this; it would mean the end of him…

Slug's fears were assuaged when Gero said "I can restore him to full health and suppress his memories, but not wipe them. His personality will largely remain intact with a few alterations and his physical strength should remain. But at the moment, that is the most of what I can do."

"Then do it!" Slug demanded "We have little time Gero and the boy would be a boon to our cause. I shall contact our superiors and tell them the news. In the meantime, do your job!" With those words, Slug turned and left the small house, leaving Gero to his work. The Doctor sighed and turned to do what he had been ordered too, going around his lab and picking up various pieces of equipment necessary for the operation and the following procedure. When he was done, Gero returned to the boy, starting the procedure with removing that blade in his chest…

XxX

The destruction of the city of Lunos had been almost total, many buildings levelled and fires had spread throughout it with the bombardment. Over the last few hours, it had been brought largely under control and the Army was being brought in to fight the chaos and restore order. It had been an entire day since the attack had been beaten off and aid was coming in from all quarters to help repair the city and give comfort to those affected by the attack. For Kami and Dende, the sight of once such a proud and glorious city being so stricken affected them. They had even begun to help other Nameks shift medical equipment and transport it throughout the city.

It had been in their third hour of doing this that the two finally stopped to rest and sit down on a bench in what had formerly been an orderly park, now, a centre to help the refugees. Food was being given out by the Moon Kingdom Army as well as other officials along with tents being set up for temporary accommodation for many people. Kami looked out over the throng of refugees and felt his heart drop even further than it had done previously "It's all my fault…" He said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Dende asked "You were not the one who caused this attack."

"It was I who first suggested the Marriage between Serena and Gohan. It was I who convinced Queen Serenity to do agree to it. If I hadn't been so forceful, maybe none of this would have happened."

No reply came from Dende at first, both of them looking over to the crowd as they moved about, trying to find their way "You couldn't have foreseen this." He said eventually "You had hoped only to help the Moon Kingdom; all this… everything that's happened couldn't have been guessed. Kami, it was no fault of yours that this is the way things have turned out."

Kami remained thoughtful as Dende spoke, contemplating all that had happened these last few months. He let out a small sigh as he spoke next "I will stay in the Moon Kingdom to see this through. I shall help rebuild Lunos and guide the Queen through this period. Nothing less is warranted."

"If that is what you feel is best, I suppose a permanent Namek Ambassador would be needed as well. I'll send word to the Council, I'll take that job." Dende said, giving the surprised Kami a smile "From the sounds of it, you'll need some company, I'd be happy to help."

The offer of companionship from Dende provided the smallest of comfort to Kami and he nodded in recognition of Dende's words. He then stood up and with one last look around the area said "Come on, there's still work to do and we have a long day ahead of us…" Dende rose and followed Kami as the two went back to helping those affected by the conflict, trying to repair that which had been shattered.

XxX

Although the attack upon the Moon Kingdom had affected the transport to and from the World, it was gradually getting back into order with ships taking cargo and delivering it as trade was re-established. Once such ship, the _Yomiko _from Jurai had just finished unloading its cargo of food and was currently taking on a large cargo of building materials that would be sent to the colonist in the Eastern Quadrant. The Captain of the ship, Captain Seto was overlooking some paperwork just by his ship, sitting on a small chair just beside it as its cargo was loaded on. The ship was in a vast hangar with more ships coming in and out of it as time passed, people scurrying about frantically as loading and unloading went on with people mainly caught up in their work.

Captain Seto looked down on the paperwork in his hands, food for building supplies, then back to Jurai with silks from the Eastern Quadrant to start the whole process over again. Not the most glamorous of lives but one that would see his later years have more than their fair share of luxury in them. As he was finishing off looking through the orders to go to the colonies, a shadow suddenly descended over the paper, blocking the light somewhat. Seto looked up and, much to his surprise saw a Namek standing over him, dressed in fighting gi and a turban. There was a small pause as Seto got over his confusion and said "May I help you?"

"You're heading to the Eastern Quadrant?" The Namek asked gruffly.

"I am, taking a hold full of supplies. And why do you want to know?" Seto demanded, curious to why this Namek was demanding the information.

"You got room for one more passenger? I'll work to pay it off."

Seto leaned back in hiss chair as he considered the offer. Another pair of hands on deck was always a welcome addition and Nameks usually made good, if quiet workers. It wasn't entirely unusual to hire strangers off the ground either. Many people, either running from something or looking for a new life went to the Eastern Quadrant where the control of the Moon Kingdom and the other powers was weaker than in other Quadrants. Seto had made similar deals before and he would make one now "Alright then, just tell me your name and you're on board."

The Namek gave no reply at first before sighing and simply giving a gruff one word reply "Piccolo." Stating the word as if it didn't matter anymore.

When no other information was forthcoming, Seto decided enough was enough and jerked his thumb to some boxes that had yet to be put aboard "Well get started on those then. Put them in the hold in what way the mate tells you. Well, go on!" Seto then turned back to his paperwork, the conversation over.

With the talking apparently over, Piccolo turned to the boxes that lay in the hangar and made a start moving them, picking them up by the dozen as he started to go about his task. Although trying desperately not to think about what had led to this, Piccolo couldn't help but go back to the last few days and the grief once more almost flooded over him. He had wanted to tear down the entire Kingdom to get at Serena and avenge Gohan's death. But that appeared to be ultimately futile when it wouldn't do anything to aid his grief nor bring Gohan back. Utterly powerless to do anything, Piccolo had resigned himself to leaving the Moon Kingdom and the Central Quadrant completely.

As Piccolo shifted the boxes over to the ship, he found himself wondering what he was going to do when he arrived in the Eastern Quadrant. Probably find an unoccupied World somewhere and live the rest of his life in seclusion. He had no ties to the outside World, why not cut out of it altogether? Gohan's death meant that Piccolo had nothing left to connect him to anything, only a lone existence waited for him now, nothing else. As Piccolo took the boxes onto the _Yomiko_, not a single thought was spared to anyone else besides Gohan. The boy had changed Piccolo's life forever and now had been torn from him on the cruelest of ways. Only loneliness and isolation awaited him now…

XxX

On board another type of ship entirely, the luxury Royal ship _HMS_ _Ryo-Ohki_, business went on largely as usual. Having played a good role in attacking the Dark Kingdom forces and driving off the remains, the bulk of attention now rested on repairing the damage that had been made during the battle. Overseen by Princess Ayeka and Duke Tenchi (Or more precisely, she poked her nose into everything and he tried to limit the damage by said poking), repairs were coming on well and the ship buzzed with activity in all but one room.

The news of the fight in the Palace itself between Queen Beryl against Serena and Gohan had been slow to get through as events had been hugely confused and information hadn't been coming through. This changed with a joint announcement by both the Saiyan delegation and the Moon Kingdom which revealed the horrible chain of events which had led to Gohan's death. For practically everyone on the _HMS Ryo-Ohki _the news was greeted as a way to satisfy a minor curiosity and nothing more. For one aboard the ship however, the news was a terrible blow.

In her bedroom on the _HMS Ryo-Ohki _Princess Sasami laid on her bed, weeping uncontrollably into her pillow. Ever sob brought a fresh convulsion of her body as she lost control of her pain. The news of Gohan's death had utterly overwhelmed her with grief and she hadn't moved from her room in over five hours. Each time Sasami tried to recover her composure, a memory of her and Gohan flying together or of them walking together in the gardens brought it all flooding back to her.

Finally, with one last gasp, the tears wouldn't physically come anymore. Although he body still shuddered with the grief and pain, Sasami just couldn't bring out any tears; she was too dehydrated after crying for so long and merely sat in silence, thinking about the friend she had lost. But he had been much more than a friend, that one kiss they had shared being everything Sasami could ever hope for in a romance. Her relationship with Gohan had blossomed so much that she honestly believed it was true love she had felt for him. For Gohan to be torn away from her, it was unbearable. What was worse that she hadn't been there when he had perished, leaving only Serena there in his final moments.

Serena… an alien and never felt before hatred suddenly rose in Sasami. Gohan had died directly because of her actions and she had lived, where was the justice in that? Sasami took deep breaths, her pain giving way to cold fury towards the Moon Princess. Gohan had done nothing wrong and yet he had been punished! Fury like she had never felt ran through Sasami, her rage towering in its scale. She now had an enemy in the form of Princess Serena. And for the death of Gohan, Sasami promised that she would not rest until proper justice had been dealt…

XxX

The Saiyan force which had aided in the fight against the Dark Kingdom above the Moon itself was currently in a state of celebrations. The tradition after a victory, great or small was to boast about it along with a great feast to commemorate the occasion. This practice had largely been avoided over the last ten years due to the ongoing War with the Freezing Empire and the need to always press into battle. With that block out of the way, the Saiyan Army could officially let their hair down and enjoy their victories, even minor ones like this.

The grouping of ships was still in space, no offer of aid had been given and they had not been asked for it. Only two reasons even kept them near the Moon Kingdom, one being that negotiations regarding a new Treaty between the Moon Kingdom and Saiyan Empire had yet to begin and the second being that Kakarott had been paralysed with grief since he had given his wife the news that their son had died. He had remained in his quarters, sitting prone and reflecting on what had happened and regretting every last bit of it. Why had he agreed to the arranged Marriage? He should have rejected it out of hand and thought of his son instead of politics. How could he face anyone with the pretence of honour when his own had been destroyed through his decision?

As Kakarott ran through his grief and guilt in his mind, he was distracted by nothing, not the sounds of reverie coming from other parts of the ship, not from the sound of the door to his quarters sliding open, but only from a familiar voice calling out "What are you doing here Kakarott? There is still work to be done and you have to personally attend the celebrations at some point."

The words from his father seemed to stir Kakarott somewhat, bringing him out of his introspection and finally looking out, his face turning from sadness, to savagery "Celebrations?" He growled "Celebrations!? My son is dead, Chi-Chi has no one to comfort her while I'm here and you speak of celebrations?! Gohan was your grandson father! Have you forgotten that!?"

The heated words threw Bardock off balance and he unwisely attempted to assert his authority "Don't you dare speak to me in that tone again Kakarott! You mourn for your child? He died in battle; a greater honour does not exist! It was a pity he died saving that Moon girl but he had his honour in death. He was almost a tr…" Bardock stopped himself from finishing but it was too late, Kakarott guessed what he meant.

"A true Saiyan? Was that what you mean?!" The words were bitter and full of anger, Gohan's death bringing forth rage he hadn't felt since his brother had been killed in battle "Is that all you care about? That he had 'honour' when he died?! Was it true then, what Kami and Dende told me when you went out to train him? That you and Raditz… you…" Anger choked off Kakarott's words but the implication was there enough for Bardock to answer.

"We did what we felt was necessary. True, Raditz sometimes went overboard but our intentions were simply to strengthen him and get past his weakness."

"YOU ALMOST KILLED HIM!!" Kakarott screamed at his father, his anger boiling to breaking point "All these years and I thought he was receiving training from you too! You never told me that he was being shunned, harassed and hated because of what he was! And you only made it worse with what you did! Why? Was he that much of an embarrassment?! He was my son! You should have loved him!!"

"And you should never have married a Human!" Bardock snapped, his bigotries, long hidden, now rising back up "Of all the idiotic things you've ever pulled, that was the largest! You should have married a decent Saiyan woman, not some Human harlot!!" Bardock was in full swing now, his ranting descending into outright yelling "And to make matters worse, you had an offspring, not a proper Saiyan child, but a mongrel that couldn't even defend himself! You almost destroyed the honour of this family! You should feel glad that the brat gained some form of redemption with his death, at least-!" Bardock's words were finally cut short as Kakarott lashed out in fury and struck his father across the face, sending him crashing into the wall.

"DO NOT INSULT MY FAMILY!!" Kakarott screamed at his father as Bardock's head felt as if it would split. Taking a breath to regain his composure somewhat, Kakarott turned his back on his father and said in a leaden tone "I'm going to give the order to head back to Vegeta as soon as possible. I'll retire from the Army and go home to my family and try to avoid the same mistakes I did before. Which includes you." Kakarott turned back to his father, his glare making the elder Saiyan retreat before it "I want you out of my life permanently, never speak to me again."

"But I am your father!" Bardock protested, trying to play on Kakarott's family loyalty. He failed.

"I have no father." Came Kakarott's cold reply "Now, get out of my quarters, I never want to see you again." His tone was final and stone cold. Every word was true to him, he would not forgive Bardock these transgressions.

Bardock tried to reason with his son but to no avail. The brutal stare Kakarott gave his father gave no room for pity. Trying desperately to muster whatever dignity he could, he pulled himself off the ground and walked out of the room, not looking back once at his son, knowing that the end for them had come. When he was gone, Kakarott sank back into his seat, put his head in his hands and started weeping, the loss of his son and father leaving him with nothing but the weight of grief.

XxX

The office of Captain (Formerly General) Cosmos looked bleak when empty. Although Cosmos had not allowed for any personal effects while he had been in there, the lack of any showing of Human occupation made it seem even bleaker than it had been. Cosmos stood at the door of his former office, his uniform amended for his demoted rank of captain. He had only come back to have one last look before leaving it behind for good. As of tomorrow, he was being sent to the Moon Kingdom colonies in the Eastern Quadrant to serve the Army for the remainder of his life. Retirement was an option but for Cosmos, his failures only warranted servitude to the Queen.

Although not one to usually dwell on regrets, Cosmos now felt a terrible weight on his soul. In his own mind, his actions had been honourable and had been for the sole benefit of Princess Serena and the Moon Kingdom. He refused to believe that his actions had been in anyway wrong; the end results had merely been unexpected and undesirable. But Queen Serenity had not seen things in this light, leading to his exile from the Moon Kingdom for the rest of his days. Even if Queen Serenity had not enforced the decision, he could not bear the thought of living anywhere near the woman he had loved and lost so badly.

His punishment, though nearly unbearable, would have to be taken. Although Cosmos had lost everything else, his sense of duty and honour still remained. As he turned away from his former office for the last time, Cosmos knew he would serve the Moon Kingdom and Queen Serenity until his last breath.

XxX

The destruction wrought upon the Moon Kingdom's Palace had caused chaos; large swaths of the building had been levelled to the ground and other parts had fallen onto themselves. Several corridors had been outright blocked, preventing people from reaching certain sections of the Palace entirely or even leaving their rooms. For the Princesses Ami, Lita, Mina and Rei, the impact on them had been unable to help out Serena and Gohan during the battle when their rooms had been damaged beyond allowing them to escape from the rubble. As they had been released from their rooms with aid from soldiers, they had learned of the battle between Serena, Gohan and the Dark Kingdom forces and were crushed with the news that Gohan had perished in the fight.

They had managed to see Serena briefly and speak to Queen Serenity regarding what had happened. It had been a heart breaking event with the shock of it gradually ebbing as the Princesses brought themselves to accept it, although it had not been an easy task. Each one of them was dealing with it in their own way, their grief coming out in its own stages. They had all temporarily gone into separate rooms as the day had been spent learning what had happened and they all needed time to themselves.

Princess Rei had been the most furious of the four, not only at Gohan's death but also Serena's actions which had led to it. How could she have been so stupid? Just one conversation was all it would have taken and all this could have been avoided. Although Rei knew that Serena would never have tried to intentionally hurt Gohan, her actions had led to this disaster. Rei would never trust Serena the same way again, the Princess of Mars would not be a part of the Celestial Senshi anymore…

Princess Lita also felt anger, not particularly at Serena but at the Dark Kingdom itself. The fact it had struck the home of one of her friends and caused such destruction was a huge blow to her sense of justice. They had killed so many people to no great purpose that it was aghast at the violence. She swore that a similar fate would not befall any other Planet in the Central Quadrant; she would do anything to avoid the deaths of anymore of her friends.

For Princess Mina, the attack upon the Moon Kingdom had been hard, the chaos affecting her in a way she had never thought possible. Although she had been in battle during the previous invasion of the Palace, the death of Gohan had frightened her, worrying her into thinking about the deaths of her other friends. Mina was determined that nothing like this would happen again; she would bring her friends together in order to make them stronger so that they would not fall in battle like Gohan had.

The impact the battle had upon Princess Ami was also profound. Having gotten on very well with Gohan due to their shared interests in academia, his death had hit her hard. She too found it hard to reconcile what Serena had done with her conscience but knowing what Serena was going through, she realised that there was no other punishment that would do anything worse to her. She would be there to help heal the wounds and lead her friends to the future. Nothing else could be done in lessening the pain.

Although the Princesses each dealt with the grief in their own way, the loss of Gohan held the deepest impact upon them. They had lost a friend and seen the death of an innocent child, they would not forget and some cases, they would not forgive. The War had claimed its last victims in the Princesses, changing them in how they saw everything. Such events could not have anything else but the effects they had, making nothing the same again.

XxX

The Sunset, once so comforting to Serena, now seemed as hollow as anything else in her life recently. Gohan's death had just made her feel numb inside, only guilt remaining as she reflected on her part in his death. She was on the balcony where she had seen Gohan's ship touch down only months ago. She'd have never guessed that this would have happened when he first arrived, that her prejudices against him would disappear like the morning dew, that she would find one of her greatest friends in that small boy nor that he would perish because of her actions. She wondered how she would go on with the knowledge that her actions had led to all this happening.

Serena stared out onto the Palace gardens, her thoughts on the loss of Gohan, her mind only being brought down to reality when she heard the closing of hr bedroom door behind her. Turning around, Serena saw Queen Serenity and Luna walk towards her, their expressions sympathetic but set. Serena could not face them directly; she felt it hard to face anyone, knowing what she had done "Hello mother, Luna." Serena greeted them "Have the Army started the cleaning up of the city?"

The question was by no means what any of them were currently thinking but Serenity decided to humour her daughter, knowing what she was feeling "They've started with the clean up and are giving out aid to those who've been affected by the attack." Seeing Serena still avoiding her look still, she frowned and snapped out "Serena! Look at me!"

The sharpness in her mother's voice made Serena jump as she looked directly at Serenity for the first time. Her mother had brought herself up to her full height, her eyes piercing right through the Princess as she looked at her "Do not fall into endless guilt, Gohan did not sacrifice himself for you to do that!"

"But what else can I do?" Serena asked "It is my fault that he died! How can I do anything to make up for what I've done?"

"By living." Came the reply "Remember what Gohan did for you and do not let his sacrifice go in vain. If you truly want to gain some redemption, live your life in a way that would have made Gohan proud. Do you honestly think that moping around accomplishing nothing would achieve that?"

The words from her mother managed to bring Serena some clarity. The point of Gohan having sacrificed himself for her to live was enough to make her realise that redemption was something she would have to actively earn, not just think about. The death of Gohan would not go wasted; she would do her best to make sure that Gohan's memory was honoured as much as possible. She would redeem herself by making sure Gohan would be remembered for being a just and honest person. Serena gave her mother a nod, acknowledging her advice "I'll do that mother. And… I'm sorry, for everything."

Queen Serenity nodded at Serena's words, knowing that she meant them. The sacrifice of the boy would not be wasted and Serena would devote herself to keeping his memory honoured and alive "Remember that Serena and the price that has been paid due to all this. I hope that now your thoughts of being Queen shall always include the responsibilities for your actions. Never again shall you act so rashly." A silent look was the only reply to those words, a quiet acknowledgement by Serena that she would never again allow herself to commit such an act. Serena had indeed matured, but at a terrible cost.

A cough came down from Luna, the ever loyal servant to the Queen and Princess getting the attention of both to say "I believe you should know Serena that Prince Darien has arrived with a group of Earth Ambassadors to discuss the reopening of relations between them and the Moon Kingdom. He has asked for you to join him, are you going to?"

Prince Darien's name sent a warm feeling through Serena's heart, her love had finally come to her once again and maybe now, it could even stay that way… And then the memories of the wedding night when the kiss they had came back to her and her ever present guilt surged. Could she meet Darien, knowing the consequences for what they had done had been so damaging?

After a moment's introspection which seemed to last for hours as many conflicting emotions boiled within her. She finally gave a nod of assent "I… I shall meet him Luna." Her voice faltered a little before she pulled herself together. The decision to meet Darien was not one she made lightly; she saw no purpose in denying meeting with someone she truly loved. This was no muddle-headed choice but one that she needed to make. Her love for Darien remained as strong as ever and she felt she needed the support he could give to help her get through her grief. They had both played their part in Gohan's death and together, they would redeem themselves for their actions together.

It would be a long and difficult path but she was sure they'd get through it together and that they would both never forget what Gohan had managed to do.

XxX

The Doctor gave out a sigh as he looked back over to the operating table in the lab where the young Saiyan boy was lying. He had done all he could, removed the magical blade which had caused the wound, patched up the body as best he could, suppressed the boy's memories as far as possible and even surgically removed his tail to complete the process. With luck, the boy would wake up thinking he was a Human of sorts and Gero's role in all of this would be ended with a large payment bonus.

Gero opened his drink cabinet and poured himself some fine wine from Jurai into a glass before drinking it all in one gulp to steady his nerves. The process had gone somewhat smoothly but Gero had underestimated the damage to the young boy's body. He had done his best but the Doctor was unsure if he'd survive what he'd been through which meant bad news for him…

"Well, is he alive?" Came an unhelpful and unwelcome voice from behind Gero, the arrogant tone Slug spoke in almost masking his worry regarding his position.

"For now." Gero said without turning around "His wounds were deeper than I expected however. I have my doubts regarding if he'll survive the night."

Even though he couldn't see Slug's reaction, Gero was sure that the Namek would be visibly panicked at that statement. Slug had been a valuable source of information for Galaxia and her cause with his position in the Namek High Council. By faking his own death when he had used his magic to transport his ship just as it was being attacked, he had sacrificed his position as a spy for what he had believed would be an even greater prize, an Ascended Saiyan to be her servant. But if he had faked his own death merely for a rather short corpse, then Galaxia could very well make the short remainder of his life full of… unpleasantness.

"He must pull through Gero! He must!" Slug demanded, his fear setting in "And when he does, he is to remain here with you."

Now Gero twisted around, his face contorted into confusion and outrage "WHAT?!" He yelled, not bothering to hide his feelings "You think I have nothing better to do than babysit this boy?! Why is not being sent to Galaxia herself? Surely he can serve a better purpose with her than me!"

"Now is too soon." Slug replied "Before long most of the Galaxy will know the boy as the one who destroyed the Dark Kingdom. Already the Saiyan Empire is preparing to give him several posthumous honours. We cannot risk exposure by having him accomplishing tasks for our cause. The boy shall be a lot better if he remains in the Eastern Quadrant among the colonies. And since you're so isolated out here anyway, you'd be the perfect cover for him. And as these are personal orders from Galaxia herself, you don't have much choice in the matter Gero."

The Doctor opened his mouth to protest but no noise came out. He instead slammed his glass down onto the cabinet in frustration, cursing his luck for being landed with such an assignment. But such was the price to pay when he worked for Galaxia of all people, you served her wishes or you perished, simple but hardly the nicest of arrangements. Despising the situation, he realised he had no choice but to accept it "Very well, the boy shall remain here, although we shall have to see if he'll yet make it through the night."

Those words sent a shiver down Slug's spine but he nodded all the same, realising his own limitations in the matter. He gave one final look towards the unconscious form of Gohan before heading to the door, planning to wait outside for further news. Gero opted to wait inside, sitting down heavily onto a small chair beside the table, watching the boy as he lay there. Gero had never had any family, his work being the only factor in his life. He reflected on this as time went on. Would this change his way of life? Gero would have to wait until Gohan woke up before finding out, if he woke up.

As the night turned to dawn, the promise of something new grew ever greater came to being as Gohan's breathing grew harder and less laboured. Just as the morning Sun peeked through the windows of Gero's house, the boy's eyes finally opened as he regained consciousness. He looked blearily at his surroundings, his memory being non-existent to the extent that everything was brand new to him. Although still weak, Gero could see that the boy was taking in every little detail, full to the brim with curiosity. With his large, innocent eyes, the boy turned to see Gero and frowned in confusion, asking "W-Who are…" He paused in his question, realising that it was the wrong one "Who am I?" He asked instead, his mind drawing a frightening blank on everything…

"Well…" Gero said hesitatingly, the lie still fresh in his mind and unfamiliar to his tongue "That is a very long story…"

The End of the Beginning

**And it's completed at last. Two years of working and it's done with the promise of more soon with any luck. I hope the ending wasn't too much of a cop-out to the last few chapters and that it wasn't disappointing to read. I'd like to thank all those who've read this as well as reviewing. Your feedback has been much appreciated and always welcome. I'll take a break from this series for now and probably work on a few things before coming back to it. Once more, thanks for viewing and I hope you've enjoyed it. For the last time, (For this fic anyway) read, enjoy and review!**


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